Opening Weekend
by LanieSullivan
Summary: AU: My version of what happened after the tag scene in "All the World's a Stage" as Lee and Amanda explore the new dimensions of their relationship. Rated M for later chapters
1. First Read-Through

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. We retain rights to the plot, but not the characters. this story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This is an idea that has been rattling around in my restless mind for a long time. The title came from Francine's crack in "All The World's a Stage" asking when opening night was, although I decided to make it an opening weekend instead. I may be playing with the timeline a little, but for the purposes of this tale, I'm making the tag from take place on the following Friday after the play. I debated on posting this since I have other unfinished stories, but I already have four chapters of this completed and I don't intend for it to be a very long story like the other epics I'm writing. I hope you enjoy.

**First Read-Through**

Friday Morning, 10:00AM

After hearing Billy and Francine in the hall, Lee firmly clicked the lock into place before he and Amanda could be interrupted for what felt like the millionth time since they'd first started seeing each other outside of work. "No, not this time," He said as he walked purposefully toward her. When he reached her, he placed his hands on her waist and she responded by slowly sliding her arms up his chest to rest lightly on his shoulders inviting him in. He smiled nervously at her with a look in his eyes that told her this was a moment he'd been waiting a long time for. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Yeah," she said giving him back a nervous smile of her own.

God, how he loved her smile. He didn't hesitate a second longer as he leaned in to kiss her delighted to find that she'd met him halfway. He lightly brushed his lips against hers a little startled by the jolt of electricity that passed through him at the contact. He then pulled back to look at her trying to gauge her reaction praying with all his might that she'd felt it too.

Amanda looked at him and seeing the hesitation in his eyes she edged closer to him to kiss him again and found that he was already leaning in for a second kiss moving his hands to her back to pull her closer while she linked her hands behind his neck teasing his lips with her tongue in open invitation. She moaned as he took the hint parting her lips with his own tongue.

Hearing her eager response, Lee became bolder. He probed her mouth with his tongue as he scooted closer to her, pressing his body against hers edging her backwards until she was half leaning against his desk. he couldn't help the low groan that escaped him at finally feeling her this close to him. They kissed like this for what felt like an eternity until they were both too out of breath to continue.

"Amanda,' he said breathlessly. Just her name was all he could manage to spit out but there was so much more he wanted to say. He just couldn't find the right words. Kissing her, _really_ kissing her had affected him in a way that he couldn't describe. He'd never felt this much desire rising up within him from just a kiss.

Her name on his lips after the kiss they'd just shared felt like the most intimate caress to Amanda. She lowered on hand to softly stroke his face before lightly brushing her lips to his again, longing to have more of him. She wove her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck pulling him back in. She moaned low in her throat as he possessively captured her lips with his own his hands pulling her in to press her tightly against him again. She gasped as she felt the evidence of his desire for her. She had wanted this man for so long and now he was here in her arms kissing her like there was no tomorrow. She broke the kiss and began to nip lightly at his neck testing the waters. When he sighed in response, she continued her exploration which was halted by the feeling of his lips on her own neck. "Oh, Lee," she cried out at the exquisite sensation.

Hearing Amanda calling out his name spurred Lee on. He began to ravage her neck in earnest, nipping at the tender skin there amazed that not only had she not stopped him, she'd thrown her head back to give him better access. His hands already on her lower back were quickly moved to her bottom as he lifted her onto the edge of his desk. He was delighted when she didn't put up a fight. Instead she grasped his own bottom pulling him tightly against her. He'd waited so long for this, wanted _her_ for so long, it was taking all the strength he possessed not to just take her completely right there. That thought sent off alarm bells in his head as he abruptly pulled away from her. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself, but seeing her looking at him with passion-glazed eyes, her lips swollen from their kisses was too much. He forced himself to turn away from her. When he was a safe distance away from her he turned back around. "God, I'm sorry, Amanda. I guess I got a little carried away," he said.

"You're sorry?" she said looking hurt as she hopped down from the desk. "Sorry you kissed me? I thought this was something we both wanted."

"No, I...I didn't mean it like that," He stammered. "I'm not sorry I kissed you," Lee walked back toward her taking her hands in his but still keeping a little distance between them to maintain his control. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to kiss you like that, a real kiss, I mean. One that wasn't part of a case or a cover, but was about just you and me."

"I've wanted that for a long time too, and guess what? You're not the only one who got a little carried away. If you recall, I wasn't objecting to anything you were doing. I was rather enjoying it as a matter of fact."

"I know that, Amanda. I was too. Too damn much in fact. I had to stop or things would have gone too far too fast."

"In my opinion, things haven't gone far enough or fast enough," Amanda said boldly.

"What are you saying," Lee said surprised by her candor.

"Come on, Lee. Don't you think we've wasted enough time? I mean, we've done this all backwards from how things normally go. Usually, two people who are attracted to each other are all over each other from the start and then do all the getting to know you stuff afterwards, but ..."

"...not us," he finished for her. "I know, but I want you to know that I have been trying this last year to really figure out where we stand, what my feelings are..."

"And what have you figured out?"

"That I care far too much about you to risk messing this up by moving too fast," he raised one hand to caress her face as he gazed into her eyes. "Then I would have lost my best friend, my partner...I would-."

Amanda reached up with her now freed hand and placed a finger to his lips to silence him. "Did you ever stop to think you could mess it up by moving too slowly too?"

"I...I guess I just want you to know that I don't want to rush you into anything that you're not ready for. I have too much respect for you, for our partnership, our friendship. Our..." he hesitated unsure of what her reaction would be "...relationship?" he said questioningly.

"Lee, I appreciate that, really, but stop! Stop thinking so much. We're both adults and it's not like this is my first rodeo. I do have two children, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, but that was different. You were married."

"Uh-huh," Amanda said. "When the boys were born, yes, but I wasn't some blushing virgin when I married Joe."

"You weren't?" Lee said his eyes widening in surprise. "He wasn't your first?"

"No, he wasn't even the second, nor was he the last," Amanda said. When she noticed Lee's somewhat agitated reaction. "Look, you just said there were things about me that you didn't know. This is one of those things, I guess."

"Wow, I guess, I had you pegged all wrong. I just thought of you as the type who would wait until you were married."

"Now, I'm not the kind who just jumps into bed with a man lightly. I do take intimacy very seriously, but that doesn't mean I have to be married." She was having trouble believing what she was hearing. Not five minutes ago, she was sure he felt the same way that she did, now he was backpedaling. She couldn't resist having a little fun with it. "Why, are you proposing?"she teased.

"What?" he said startled by her question.

"Relax, Lee, I was teasing," she said as she kissed him softly. "I'm not expecting a marriage proposal."

Lee looked at her earnest face and realized he'd been handling this whole thing wrong from the start. While her wisecrack had thrown him temporarily, it had gotten him thinking. Even though he hadn't quite gotten up the nerve to tell her yet, he'd known for a long time that she was it for him. There's no way any other woman could make him feel the way that she did. He took a deep breath and decided to take a chance. "What if I were," he said softly never breaking his eye contact with her as he moved his hand into her hair and lightly kissed her then gazed into her eyes again. "What would you say?"

"Wow," Amanda said. This time it was her turn to be startled. Her heart jumped in her chest. That was the last thing she'd expected to hear. There was no denying that she loved him, had loved him for a long time, but was he really serious or was it a hypothetical question? Was he just teasing her because she'd teased him? Her little attempt at humor had completely backfired on her.

"Well?" Lee said waiting for an answer.

"It doesn't really matter what I would say since you're not really proposing..." Amanda said trying to convey more calm that she felt. Her heart was racing at this surprising shift in their conversation. "...are you?"

"But what if I were?"Lee asked again.

"But you're not," Amanda replied.

"But what if I were?" He repeated.

"But you're not," she argued again.

"You wanna go another round or do you wanna' give me an answer?"Lee said his eyes dancing in amusement.

She couldn't help but laugh."I think that I would have to say that I would need some time to think about it. I mean, my family hasn't even met you yet."

"Well, then I _propose _that we change that," Lee said with a smirk.

"What did you have in mind?"Amanda said

"It's simple. We already had a date planned for tonight, didn't we?"

"Yes," she said. She'd been looking forward to it all week. Joe would be picking up the boys and keeping them for the weekend and her mother had a date so she wouldn't have to worry about how late she'd be out.

"Then I suggest instead of our normal habit of meeting someplace or you coming to my place and us driving somewhere together, I'd like to do this right. Drive to your house, pick you up, be introduced to the family, take you out and bring you back home again. Maybe even a real good-night kiss on the front porch?"

"That sounds wonderful," Amanda said. "What brought that on?"

"To tell you the truth, it was Francine."

"Francine?"Amanda asked in confusion.

"Yeah, the crack she made the other day when she walked in on us about opening night?"

"Oh," Amanda said.

"It got me thinking. We've been on several dates yet we've never had what feels like a real one because we always get interrupted and I thought..."

"...you thought that we couldn't get to our _opening night_ if we never got to finish a date?"

"Something like that," He said. "Ok, our dinner reservation is for seven, so I'll pick you up at six?"

"Yeah, you did say dinner and dancing the other day, right?"

"Mm-hmm," Lee said as he brushed one more soft kiss against her lips. He couldn't wait to get her on the dance floor tonight just to feel her in his arms again. While he was holding her hand now, he was still a little nervous about getting too close for fear of losing control like he'd almost done earlier. "So, six?"

"Yeah, six it is," Amanda said with a smile.


	2. Dress Rehearsal

**Dress rehearsal**

Friday Afternoon, 4:30PM

Amanda hurried into the house to try to get ready for her date with Lee. They'd worked longer than planned on which didn't give her much time to get ready.

"Amanda, is that you?"her mother called from the kitchen.

"Yes, Mother, but I don't have time to talk," she said as she began to ascend the stairs.

"Well, come in here for just a second. You should see what was delivered for you earlier."

Amanda halted on the third step and trotted into the kitchen quickly, "What is it," Amanda said worriedly hoping it wasn't something from IFF that would cause her to have to work tonight her plans for real night out with Lee.

"The most beautiful vase of roses," Dotty said. "It came this afternoon."

"Roses?" she said with a smile. She knew that sending her roses was a huge gesture on Lee's part.

"Yes, there's a card," Dotty said. Amanda reached for the tiny envelope her smile brightening when she read the card. Dotty glanced over her shoulder reading aloud, "_Looking forward to opening night, whenever that may be, Lee_. That must be some date you've got tonight."

"It's a private joke, Mother, and as for the date, I'm definitely looking forward to it, but I don't really have time to talk about it. He's picking me up at six and I need to get in the shower and get dressed before then. I promise, I will tell you all about it later." She kissed her mother and hurried up the stairs.

Friday, 5:30-6:00PM

An hour later, Dotty couldn't help but laugh at the state of her daughter's bedroom. She had clothes strung all over the bed and still had not decided what to wear. "So, tell me about this man, Lee, that you're going out with tonight. The one who's got you so flustered," She said. "This is the man you work with that you're always talking about, Mr. Simpson, right?"

"It's Stetson, Mother. Lee Stetson and he doesn't have me flustered," Amanda said although she knew that wasn't really true. The passionate kisses they'd shared in the office today and the ensuing conversation definitely had gotten her a little flustered. She still couldn't figure out what was going on his mind about the proposed proposal. Was he teasing her because she'd teased him or was he seriously contemplating having a real future with her? "The fact that I can't find the dress that I want is what has me flustered. That's why I called you in here in the first place. I was looking for that black dress with the spaghetti straps and the pearl buttons and I can't find it anywhere."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Darling, I took it to the cleaner's," Dotty said. At seeing her daughter's face fall, she explained, "Amanda, Darling, It's not like you could have warn it in the condition it was in. It's been hanging in the back of your closet with some weird stain on it since New Year's Day," Dotty said.

"Right," Amanda said. _The borscht_. _Damn Lee and his macho drinking competition, _she thought.

"That's why I took it to the cleaner's to begin with. I thought I was doing you a favor since you're always so busy working."

"Oh, and I appreciate it. I just can't believe that I forgot to take it in myself all this time. I really wanted to wear it tonight."

"Well, what's wrong with the dress you're wearing," Dotty said indicating the glittery white dress she had on.

"No, not this one. It's not right for tonight," Amanda said. She'd put in on because it was similar in style to the dress Lee once had said she looked beautiful in, but she thought given the conversation they'd had in the office, a white dress might not be such a hot idea. That may lead the conversation back to where it shouldn't go.. The doorbell rang causing her to jump. "Oh my gosh, he's here early and I'm not ready yet. Go stall him for me," she pleaded with her mother.

"Amanda, Darling, will you relax, it's probably just Joe to pick up the boys." Dotty poked her head out the door and called, "Boys, can one of you get the door?" She heard footsteps thundering down the stairs, then closed the door and turned back to her daughter. "Why are you so nervous about this? It's just a first date, right?"

Amanda hesitated for a moment not sure how to answer. She took a deep breath and decided it was better to be honest since her relationship with Lee was beginning to take a more serious turn. "Um...Actually, it's not. Lee and I have already been on a few casual dates, but this one...it's well...special." she said as she pulled another dress from her closet.

"Special? How special are we talking about here?"Dotty said with an arched eyebrow.

"It's not like that," Amanda said as she swapped the white dress for a ruby red sequined dress, also with spaghetti straps and backless to just above her bottom. She looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head. No, this one wouldn't work either. It was basically screaming 'come and get it.' She flushed a little at the thought that she wanted him to come and get it.

"Not like that, huh? Then why are you blushing like that," Dotty probed. When Amanda only looked at her, she continued, "The look you just had on your face tells me one of two things, either you've already been to bed with this man or you're seriously thinking about going to bed with him."

"Mother!" _If she can see through me, does that mean Lee can too?_ Amanda thought worriedly.

"Third date?"Dotty teased enjoying the exasperation on her daughter's face.

"Don't tell me that you actually believe in that ridiculous third date rule?"Amanda said looking at her mother incredulously.

"Not necessarily. Sometimes, it's the first date. At my age, you never know if you'll get to a third date," Dotty teased.

"Oh, Mother, really," Amanda said with a roll of her eyes.

"Tell me I'm wrong, Amanda. Tell me that's not what got you in such a tizzy. I want you to know that I'm not making judgments here. Just the opposite, in fact. If you have a man in your like that you finally feel comfortable enough to have a more serious relationship with, I'm happy for you. I haven't seen you this excited about a date in a long time and you've been alone for far too long. I just want you to be honest with yourself, if not with me," Dotty said. When Amanda was silent, she couldn't resist teasing her a little more. "Come on, Amanda, when was the last time you actually let your hair down and had a good romp?"

Amanda turned from the mirror and glared at her mother. "I told you already, it's not like that." She then turned back and examined herself in the mirror, still not at all sure about the dress she was wearing. She caught her mother's knowing expression in the mirror and relented. "Ok, maybe it _is_ like that. I don't know. We haven't really gotten that far, Amanda said. "I just know that he's the first man that I've really cared for since Joe I don't want to mess this up. I mean, there was Dean, but with him there was just no..." Amanda paused not able to find the right word.

"No sizzle?"Dotty supplied helpfully with a grin.

"Exactly. More like a fizzle," Amanda confirmed. "With Lee, everything is...different."

"You're in love with him," Dotty said.

"No, Mother, no," Amanda said, but she knew it was true. She was completely head over heels in love with Lee Stetson.

"It wasn't a question, Amanda, just an observation. So, he's coming here to pick you up, right? That means I'm finally going to get to meet your mystery man."

"Yes, he's coming here," Amanda said as the doorbell rang again. "And he's not a mystery man. I've told you about him before and you've talked to him on the phone."

"That must be him," Dotty said.

"Couldn't that be _your _date?"

"Not unless he's very early. He's supposed to pick me up at eight," She peered out the window for a moment. "Is Lee the owner of that gorgeous silver sports car I've seen parked on the block a few times?"

"Yes, Tell him I'll be another few minutes, please."

"Certainly, Dear," she said as she opened the door. She turned and said with a smile, "If you really want this man, the red dress you're wearing is perfect."

Dotty hurriedly descended the stairs just in time to hear Phillip saying, "You work with my mom?"

"Yeah, Lee Stetson," a husky male voice said. When she reached the landing, she could definitely tell what her daughter saw in this man. On a scale from one to ten, he was most definitely an eleven.

"Phillip King," Phillip introduced himself politely as he shook Lee's hand.

"Mr. Stetson, it's so nice to meet you finally. I'm Amanda's mother, Dotty West,"

"Lee, Please. It's very nice to meet you as well, Mrs. West," Lee said as he shook her hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Well, Lee, I haven't heard nearly enough about you," she said. "Won't you come in? Amanda will be a few minutes."

"Yeah, thanks," Lee said a little awkwardly as he stepped into the den. He noticed the vase on the kitchen counter. "So, I see Amanda got the roses I sent."

"Yes, they're lovely, although I have to admit I was a little curious as to the meaning of the cryptic message in the card."

"Oh, just a little private joke," Lee said nervously. Why the hell had he thought this would be a good idea?

"That's the same thing Amanda said," Dotty said her curiosity burning. "Well, whatever it means, she seemed to understand it. She smiled as soon as she read it."

"Good," he said with a smile. He'd wanted her to know that despite the awkwardness of their conversation earlier about taking the next step in their relationship, he still wanted it to happen, but was also willing to wait if that's what she wanted.

"Hey, Phillip, can you run upstairs and see what's keeping your brother?" Joe said as he got up from where he'd been waiting on the couch.

"Sure, Dad," Phillip said as he barreled up the stairs.

"And no running in the house!" Joe called after him with a shake of his head.

Lee chuckled as he recalled all the times he'd heard Amanda shout those very words at the boys when he'd been in the back yard. "Hello, Joe," he said courteously though he didn't really feel that man deserved his courtesy.

"Lee, nice to see you again," He said shaking his hand.

"You two have met?" Dotty questioned.

"Yes," Joe said. "When I first came back from Estoccia. You remember how Amanda used some of her government contacts to help get me out of the mess I was in?"

"Yes, of course," Dotty said.

"Well, Lee here helped her with that as well."

"You did?"Dotty asked Lee.

"Yes, since I've worked for IFF ten years longer than Amanda, I've developed more contacts over the years," Lee explained hoping that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity. After the conversation he and Amanda had in the office, he couldn't help but wonder what his life would be like with her as his mother-in-law. Would he have to endlessly dodge questions that he couldn't answer?

"I guess that makes sense. I just wonder why Amanda never mentioned it."

"It wasn't that big a deal, Mother," Amanda said from the staircase landing.

Lee turned at hearing her voice and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. This reaction was not lost on Dotty. She was glad Amanda had taken her advice to wear the red dress. She'd added a pair of high-heeled strappy sandals to it which helped to accentuate her long legs.

Lee approached her gazing at her appreciatively and said, "You look...amazing."

"You don't look half bad yourself," she said with a smile. The smoldering looks passing between them convinced Dotty her theory was right. There was some serious heat there. Before another word could be said, Phillip and Jamie came flying down the stairs with their bags for the weekend in tow, knocking their mother off-balance and right into Lee's arms as he caught her expertly. "Hi," she said anxiously at their closeness as she leaned on him for a moment before trying to regain her balance.

"You ok?"He said not yet wanting to release his hold on her. They gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment. He was close enough to kiss her.

"Hey, Fellas, come on! No running in the house like that," Joe said in exasperation. "You nearly knocked your mother down."

At the sound of Joe's voice, the spell was broken. Lee and Amanda broke apart and Amanda asked, "Did you get a chance to meet the boys yet?"

"Just Phillip," he said.

"Jamie, come here a minute," Amanda said. When Jamie dutifully obeyed, she said, "I'd like you to meet Mr. Stetson, we work together at IFF."

"Hi," Jamie said warily.

"It's nice to meet you, Jamie," Lee said with a smile as he offered his hand to Jamie.

"You too," Jamie said as he shook his hand, but eyed him distrustfully.

"Come on, Guys," Joe said to his sons. "Let's get out of here."

"Have a good time this weekend and be good for your dad," Amanda said to the boys and she kissed them both before they left.

"We should get going too," Lee said.

"Now, I'll probably be out really late so don't wait up when you get home," Dotty said. _If you make it home, _she added to herself. Having seen the scorching looks that had passed between her daughter and her date, she highly doubted she'd see her daughter again before the next morning.

"Good-night Mother," Amanda said as she gave her a quick kiss.

Dotty took the opportunity to whisper in her ear. "Don't let that one get away," then added aloud. "Good-night, Darling. Have a great time." As she watched Lee link his hand with Amanda's and sweep her out the door she couldn't help wondering what their future held.


	3. The Curtain Rises

**The Curtain Rises**

Friday, 7:00PM

Lee and Amanda were led to a circular booth at Emilio's where Amanda seated herself then scooted around to make room for Lee. She was pleased that he took the hint and sat beside her, not across from her. After the heated kisses they'd shared today, she found that she wanted to be as close to him as possible which would be difficult with a table between them. She smiled at him warmly as the hostess handed them menus.

Lee couldn't help but smile back. One of the things he loved about Amanda was her infectious smile. He draped his arm across her shoulders electrified by the contact with her nearly bare shoulder and said, "Amanda, I..."

"Yes?"she said expectantly her heart beating faster.

"I wanted to tell you..." They were interrupted by a waitress asking for their drink orders. He sighed in frustration. _Damn it! _He asked for a wine list and sent the waitress on her way.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" Amanda asked nervously, thinking she knew but longing to hear the words from him.

"I...uh...I wanted to tell you how beautiful you look tonight," He said chickening out. He wanted so much to share with her everything in his heart but found it difficult to spit it out. What if it ruined everything or scared her off?

"Oh," she said the disappointment evident in her voice. She tried to cover with a smile. After all, he had just complimented her. "Thank you."

"I mean it," He said as he idly caressed her bare shoulder trying to find his courage. Maybe if he couldn't tell her how he felt, he could at least show her. "When I saw you on the stairs and then when you fell into my arms, all I could think was about how badly I wanted to do this." He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

Amanda sighed at the contact of his lips against hers and what his hand was doing on her bare skin. Didn't he know that he was driving her crazy? She parted her lips under his in invitation, but before the kiss could go any further they were interrupted again by the waitress loudly clearing her throat to get their attention.

"Your wine list," the waitress said impatiently.

Lee took it with his free hand and said to Amanda, "What do you think?"

"You're better with wines than I am. I'm fine with whatever you choose," she said really wishing the waitress would just go away for more than a minute. _Choose me, _she thought.

Lee made a selection and handed the wine list back to the over-eager waitress and as if reading Amanda's mind said, "We're going to need a few minutes." He indicated the still untouched menus on the table. As the waitress once again left, Lee slid his free hand to Amanda's waist puling her closer to him kissing her soundly and was elated to feel her arm sliding around his neck and her hand tugging on the back of his head to deepen the kiss. He needed no further invitation as he plundered her mouth with his tongue reveling in the feel of having her so close, feeling her responding to him so eagerly. He moved his hand to her back startled by the intense jolt he felt as his hand made contact with her bare skin there. He hadn't realized how low the back of her dress was, not that he was complaining. It felt wonderful to hold her this close, to be touching her.

Amanda couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips at feeling Lee's hands on her, his tongue probing her mouth. She had never wanted a man as much as she wanted him. She was lost in the sensations their closeness was creating desperately wishing they were not in a public place so that she could have more of him. She ran her fingers through his hair as they kissed feverishly until they were both so breathless that they had no choice but to stop for a moment. Even when their kiss broke, their contact remained. She was awed to see the raw desire etched on Lee's face as he gazed longingly into her eyes. "Lee, I..." she paused licking her lips nervously. "I..."

Once again the moment was halted by the return of the waitress saying," Are you ready to order?" as she delivered the wine Lee had ordered and poured two glasses. They reluctantly separated.

"Didn't I tell you we needed a few minutes," Lee snapped at the waitress.

She was taken aback by his demeanor and stammered, "I...I'm sorry, Sir. It's been ten minutes. I thought..."

"No, I'm sorry," Lee said in frustration. Had it really already been ten minutes? He'd gotten so lost in Amanda that he'd lost track of time. He turned to his date and said, "Do you know what you want?"

_Yes, you! _her heart screamed, but instead of voicing that thought, she took a sip of her wine in an attempt to calm herself and said, "I haven't really given it much thought," as she picked up the menu.

"I'll give you a few more minutes," the waitress said. "How about you just flag me down when you're ready."

"Yeah," Lee said wondering why she hadn't thought of that before. Lee looked over Amanda's shoulder as she perused the menu. As he did so, he couldn't help but glance down at the plunging neckline of her dress and he thought of how easy it would be to slide one of those thin straps from her shoulder and... _Stop it, Stetson! _he admonished himself as he tried to stop the images in his mind that thought had created. "You know, I'm suddenly not very hungry," _for food, _he added silently.

Amanda looked up at him seeing the look on his face and knew instinctively just what he _was_ hungry for. She felt the same way. While she was touched by the idea that they have a real date where he picked her up at the door and took her out, she was now thinking that maybe dinner and dancing hadn't been such a great idea. "You know, I'm not either," she admitted as she gazed at him "But we really should eat something, to keep our strength up," she said then realized how that had sounded, but it was too late. The words were already out there.

"Oh?"Lee said his eyes dancing in merriment. "And just what is it you think we'll need that strength for?" He could only hope that she was thinking the same thing that he was.

Amanda blushed furiously, the red tone in her cheeks almost matching that of her dress. She hadn't meant for it to sound like that. "Well, if we're going to go dancing later," she said trying to cover quickly as she turned back toward the menu hiding her face behind it.

"Oh, right, dancing," Lee said unable to fully hide his disappointment as he took a swig of his wine thinking that he needed another kind of strength at the moment. It was taking every ounce of self-control he had not to drag her out of there and let their evening progress further in private.

"So, how about we share something?"Amanda suggested. She fervently hoped that the look on her face hadn't betrayed her true feelings. When she'd made the comment about strength, she knew she wasn't talking about dancing. She just hoped Lee hadn't seen through her. With as skittish as he'd been at the office, she didn't want to spook him.

Lee's breath caught in his throat causing him to choke on his wine. "Share something?" he gasped out. When Amanda indicated the menu in her hands he thought, _Damn it, why were the most innocently spoken words out of Amanda's mouth making me think all the wrong kind of thoughts? _"Yeah...I...uh...think that's a good idea. Since neither of us is very hungry." That wasn't true. He was hungry all right, just not for anything Emilio's could provide. The hunger her felt could only be satisfied by the beautiful woman beside him.

"Anything look good to you," Amanda asked. _I know what looks good to me, _she thought as she gazed up at him.

_You do, _he thought and so badly wanted to say it but was paralyzed by the fear of pushing too much. "You decide. I'll go with _whatever_ you want tonight," he said suggestively hoping against hope that his meaning was clear.

Amanda shivered slightly at the intense look on his face knowing all too well what it meant. There was no doubt in her mind that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Did they really need to go through this pretense of having a proper date when they both knew how they wanted the night to end? "Lee...I...uh...was thinking, maybe we should just..." Before she could voice her thoughts, the impatient waitress had appeared again asking for their order. Amanda sighed and just blurted out an order, a salad for each of them and an entree to share before handing the menus to the waitress.

"You were saying," Lee said with a questioning look on his face. "Maybe we should just..?"

"Order," she said quickly trying not to reveal that she'd just been thinking about skipping dinner in order to satisfy a different appetite entirely. "It was actually good timing that the waitress came back when she did." She reached for her wine glass and sipped at it trying frantically to calm her jangled nerves.

"Oh, that's what you were thinking," Lee said not quite buying it.

"I never did thank you for the beautiful roses you sent," she said changing the subject to safer territory. "It was a lovely gesture. I know how hard that must have been for you under the circumstances, with what happened to Dorothy, I mean."

"No, Amanda, it wasn't hard at all. You helped me get past all that," he said as he gently squeezed her hand. He wanted to say more, but wasn't sure he should. _What the hell? What's the worst that could happen?_ he thought and plunged onward. "To tell you the truth, now that you and I have...gotten closer, I don't know if what I had with Dorothy was the real thing or not. I never _will _know. She died before I had a chance to really find out All I can tell you is that what I feel for you is...well, it's different than anything I've ever felt before."

"Different how?"Amanda probed. _Was this it_, Amanda thought hopefully. Was he finally going to say the words she longed to hear?

"It's...um...more...intense, I guess is a good word. What I'm really trying to say is that I-"

"Here you go," The annoying waitress said intruding on them once again as she delivered their salads before disappearing again.

"That's it!" Lee said growled in frustration. "That woman gets no tip! Can't she take a hint?"

"Now, Lee, come on. She's just doing her job," Amanda said as she placed her hand over his to calm him.

"You're right, you're right," He said with a sigh. "I just...there's so much I want to say to you and I...it seems like every time I try to say what's on my mind, we get interrupted and it's not just the damned waitress, it's everybody, Billy, Francine, Dr. Smyth, your mother, psychos chasing us through swamps..."

"I know, Lee, I know," Amanda said. "Let's just take a step back, try to enjoy ourselves and see where the evening takes us. Joe's not bringing the boys home until Sunday so, we've got all weekend." She smiled as him as she dug into her salad, grateful for the distraction.

They ate their dinner as they chatted, Amanda talking about her boys and how they were doing in school while Lee told her about the new apartment he'd just moved into and how much better he liked it than the old one. They relaxed as they just enjoyed each other's company, the pressure off for the moment.

After Lee had paid the bill, it started to mount all over again. He had unconsciously reached for the small of her back to lead her out of the restaurant which had become habit for him. It was only when he was once again startled by the contact with her bare skin that he remembered her dress was backless. They had just reached the curb where his 'Vette was parked when he couldn't wait any longer. He used the hand he had on her back to pull her into his arms and finally kissed her they way he'd wanted to all night.

Amanda gasped as Lee pulled her roughly to him and kissed her harder than he ever had before pinning her against his car. She responded instantly, her body crying out for more as she looped her arms around his neck and urged him closer her fingers tangling in his hair. She opened her mouth to him relishing the sweet taste of the wine they'd drunk on his lips as his tongue danced with hers. She moaned at the sensations he was creating in her as he lowered his lips to the sensitive pulse point at the base of her neck. She shivered at the contact.

Lee felt Amanda shiver in his arms and stopped what he was doing for the moment looking at her in concern. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"No," Amanda said. "I feel very warm right now." She pulled at the back of his neck to urge him to continue what he'd started. He smiled as her kissed her softly, then moved his lips to her earlobe before trailing soft kisses down her neck to her bare shoulder, "Oh, Lee," she said in a husky voice her desire for him overtaking her. "Take me home."

Hearing those words was like a bucket of cold water being thrown on him. Lee pulled back startled and backed away from her once again putting some distance between the like he'd done at the office. "I'm sorry," he said. _Damn it, Stetson! Way to push your luck, _He scolded himself. "Yeah, I'll get you home," Lee said as he opened the car door for her.

Amanda looked at the worried, self-deprecating look on his face and knew he'd misunderstood her intentions. "Lee, don't," She said as she placed a hand on his arm to calm him, something that was a habit she'd picked up in the three years they'd known each other.

"No, it's ok, Amanda. I was too forward and you're not-" he was silenced by Amanda's mouth pressed against his, her tongue teasing his lips before she pulled back to look into his eyes.

"Lee, you don't understand. When I asked you to take me home, I didn't mean _my_ home."

"You didn't?"he said his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't dare to think that she meant what he was now thinking she meant.

She shook her head as she lovingly stroked his face, "Mm-mm, I meant take me home with you."

"You want to come home with me?" he rasped out hopefully.

"Yeah, I mean, after all, I haven't seen your new place yet," she said as she kissed him one more time.

"So, no dancing?"He said.

"Oh, we'll dance," she said with a suggestive grin as she slid into the passenger seat of the 'Vette flashing him with a radiant smile leaving him wondering where the rest of the night would lead.


	4. The First Act

**The First Act**

Friday, 9:00PM

Lee unlocked the door to his new apartment hesitantly hoping desperately that the drive in the cool night air hadn't cooled anything else. He opened the door and gestured for Amanda to enter first. He had barely closed and locked the door behind them when Amanda was pressing him against the door and reaching her hands inside his jacket to push it off his shoulders. She kissed him fervently as the jacket fell to the floor and began tugging at his tie. He wrapped his arms around her, his fingers skimming lightly over her bare back, loving the feel of her soft skin. Before he knew it his tie had joined his jacket on the floor and she was working on the buttons of his shirt. He pulled back from her and said gently, "Amanda, slow down. I don't want us to rush this."

"Lee, I don't want to wait. We've waited long enough," she said firmly.

"I know we have, which is all the more reason that we should think about this," Lee said.

"Lee, Did I mistake what I saw in your eyes earlier? I really don't believe that I did. When we were kissing earlier, the way that you kissed me, the way you looked at me, the way you touched me, I...I thought you wanted this...wanted me," Amanda said suddenly feeling very self-conscious. When Lee hesitated in answering. "You know what, I should probably go. I can catch a cab home," she said turning toward the door before the tears she felt stinging her eyes could fall. She'd been so sure in the way he'd looked at her at the house, the way he'd kissed her at dinner and outside the restaurant that he'd felt the same way she did.

"No, Amanda, don't go," He said as he tugged on her arm, spun her around to face him and pulled her into another passionate embrace, his mouth devouring hers hungrily. When she once again linked her arms around his neck, he grasped her bottom pulling her roughly against him so that there could be no mistaking that he definitely wanted her. He then raised one hand to the back of her head to plunder her mouth more deeply tangling his fingers in her long dark curls, delighted to hear her moaning at his onslaught. He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes and said, "Do you believe I want you now?" When she could only nod, too breathless to form words, he continued. "More than that, Amanda, I love you." _There, it's out there now, for better or worse, _he thought_. Bad thought, Stetson._ That just got him thinking about marriage vows and the banter they'd exchanged at the office.

Amanda thought her heart would stop at finally hearing those words, "You...?"

"I love you," he repeated. "That's why it's so important to me that we take our time. I don't want to ruin what we have. As much as I want you, Amanda, I love you too much to treat you like some dime-store floozy." He softly caressed her face and said, "If we do this, I want to make love to you, _really_ make love to you."

This time the tears that were forming in Amanda's eyes were not those of hurt feelings, but of wonder. "I want that too, Lee. More than you know. I want everything with you. I love you, too," she said as she kissed him fiercely.

Lee groaned at the feel of her kisses as her nimble fingers began to work on his shirt. When she got the top three buttons open, she slipped her hands inside his shirt caressing his chest, thumbing his hard masculine nipples. Growing impatient, she yanked his shirt from the waistband of his pants making quick work of the remaining buttons. She then lowered her lips to the skin she'd just exposed trailing kisses from his throat and down his chest flicking her tongue against his nipple.

Lee found his self-control waning again as he felt Amanda's mouth closing over his nipple, teasing it with her tongue and her teeth. He buried his hands in her hair giving up all pretense of fighting his desire for her. The feeling of her warm, wet lips on his skin was too much. He raised her head up, looked longingly into her eyes then captured her lips in a fiery kiss, a kiss that tried to convey everything he felt for her. He tore his mouth from hers and lowered his lips to the hollow of her throat delight that she responded by throwing her head back in invitation. He then trailed kisses along her collarbone to her neck, then her shoulder hooking his fingers beneath the tiny straps resting there that had been driving him crazy all night. He didn't hesitate a second longer as slid the straps off her shoulders and watched mesmerized as the sparkly red dress pooled at her feet. He sucked in a deep breath as he took in her nearly bare form in front of him. "Amanda, you're so beautiful," He said his voice barely above a whisper unable to conceal the passion he felt for her.

"And you're over-dressed," she said blushing slightly at his bold exploration of her body with his eyes as she stepped out of her shoes. She decided she had to do something about that as she reached for the cuffs at his wrists unbuttoning each one and finally pushing his shirt completely off. She then reached for his belt expertly undoing the buckle, the button and zipper of his pants soon following. She smiled seductively at hearing Lee groan as her fingers brushed against his erection in the process.

"This is taking too damn long," Lee said as he quickly stripped off his socks and shoes to get them out of that way. As soon as he'd done that, Amanda was on him again pushing his pants down to his ankles.

Amanda laughed at his comment. "Weren't you the one saying we should slow down?" She teased.

"Forget what I said," he replied as he kicked his pants away and took her in his arms again kissing her furiously before lowering his lips to capture one nipple in his mouth while his hand found the other. Amanda arched her back against him and moaned in response urging him on while she stroked him boldly through the thin fabric of his boxers, her other hand clutching his behind. He growled low in his throat at what her touch was doing to him, the electricity coursing through his body.

"Oh, Lee," she panted.

Hearing his name on her lips spoken with such desire was an aphrodisiac, not that he needed one. He had wanted this with her for so long. He stopped what he was doing only long enough to sweep her majestically into his arms and carry her to his bedroom, kissing her as he did so until he reached the bed. He gently laid her down in the center of it and just gazed at her, unable to speak for a long moment as he drank in the sight of her. He sat on the edge of the bed beside her not quite sure where to go from here. In looking at her and seeing the anticipation in her eyes, it struck him that as much experience as he had, this was entirely new ground for him. He'd never been with a woman that he had felt this much for, felt that he could have a real future with. The depth of his feelings was overpowering and a little frightening. This was the moment that was going to change everything between them.

When Lee finally found his voice, he said, "Amanda, I...I want you to know that I meant what I said in there. I love you. That's not something that I said just to get you into my bed. I know that I have a past and a bad reputation, but I've never said anything that I didn't mean just to get..." his voice trailed off as he found himself unable to complete the thought. He didn't want to remind her of a past that he had been starting to feel very ashamed of. He'd moved to a new home just to stop being reminded of it when he'd realized just how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Amanda. That thought had done it. He realized in this moment, now that he did want her, not just in his bed, but in his life, forever.

"Lee, I know," Amanda said as she propped herself up on one elbow and reached for his hand. "I know you're made some mistakes in your past, but I know you well enough to know that you would never say those words if you didn't mean them. And just so you know, neither would I."

"I know you wouldn't. I just wanted you to know...to feel secure...with me, I mean."

"I do know, Lee and I do feel secure. If you say that you love me, I believe you. I trust you. You don't have to say anything else. What I really want is for you to show me how much you love me, not tell me." She pulled on his hand to urge him into the bed beside her.

He took the hint and without another word he eased into bed beside her, lying on his side to face her as his kissed her softly his hand running down her side to rest on her hip for a moment as he pulled her closer to him. He felt her hand reaching for him as well grasping his rear and pressing against him as their kisses became more urgent. He rolled her beneath him as they continued to explore each other as new lovers do. His hand roamed back to her hip and tugged as the last scrap of fabric on her body. He raised himself up enough to slide the lacy panties down her legs and drank in the sight of her now fully exposed to him. He lowered his lips to her chest to finish what he'd started in the living room trailing kisses down her ribcage to her stomach, her hip. He then playfully nipped at the inside of her thigh testing the waters while his hand caressed the other thigh. He could smell the intoxicating scent of her arousal. When Amanda merely sighed at the contact and didn't protest, he moved to where he really wanted to be placing a soft kiss to her center. When Amanda gasped at the contact, he halted.

"Lee, please don't tease me," Amanda said is a pleading tone. Having him that close but feeling that he was still holding back was driving her crazy.

That was all the encouragement he needed. He resumed his task ravaging her with his mouth, licking and suckling her. He was amazed to feel and hear her enthusiastic response as she raised her hips to meet his questing mouth her hands on his head, her fingers running through his hair, spreading her legs wider for him, her breath becoming ragged as he devoured her. Feeling her tensing beneath him and calling out his name as she climaxed made his heart soar. He raised his head to look at her to find she had her eyes closed as her body was still rocked with spasms. He raised himself above her, burying one hand in her hair raining kisses along down her face and said, "Amanda, look at me."

Amanda opened her eyes to gaze at the man above her who'd just given her the most intense climax of her life and was jolted to see the look of pure love in his eyes. She smiled at him still out of breath. She reached for his bottom pushing down his boxers and squeaked out, "Lee, make love to me," as she pulled his head down for another scorching kiss. He pulled back from her kisses long enough to kick his boxers away. When he returned to her he stared longingly into her eyes as he slowly pushed himself inside her causing her to cry out his name again. When he was still for what she felt was far too long, Amanda encouraged him by hooking her legs around hm to draw him deeper into herself and pulled his head down for another searing kiss. She raised her hips up to meet him desperate to take in all of him.

Lee was lost in that moment of feeling her wrapping herself around him, her arms around his neck, her sexy long legs around his waist inviting him in while she planted kissed on his neck, his shoulder, his chest and anywhere else she could reach. He'd never anticipated that she'd be so willing, so yielding. He'd always imagined that he'd have to coax her, persuade her, or subtly seduce her. Instead he felt like she was the one seducing him. "Oh, Amanda," He said in low voice all semblance of self-control gone as he began to move within her, slowly retreating then plunging back into her again. He grabbed her hips and pulled them up flush with his as he drove into her repeatedly, thrilled to find that every time he did, she was right there to meet him, spurring him on. He was further excited to find that she was not a passive lover. She gave back everything he was giving her. He gazed into her eyes seeing the love pouring out as they moved in sync together just like they did in the field when they were chasing bad guys. Sensing that she was close, he picked up the pace, driving into her harder and deeper until he felt her tightening around him setting off the beginning of his own climax. They continued to move together until he exploded inside her, then they collapsed into each other's arms sharing soft caresses and kisses as they rode out the wave of their first time together.


	5. Intermission

Author's note: Just wanted to say thanks to all who have read and reviewed. I'm glad people are enjoying this. For the continuity purposes, I am treating the timeline in their lives as if "A Relative Situation" happened before "A Little Sex, A Little Scandal" as they were aired out of their filming order. On a personal note, Lee's insights about being moved around all over the place come from my own childhood experience of moving non-stop as a child growing up as a Navy brat.

**Intermission**

Friday Night, 10:00PM

As their breathing returned to normal, Lee softly whispered to Amanda, "I love you," as he rolled over onto his back pulling her with him and cradling her against him.

"I love you," she replied as she nestled into his embrace kissing him lightly before lying her head on his chest. She ran her fingers across his chest relishing the feeling of the firm muscles beneath his skin, her lips following the path of her fingers as she draped one leg across his, still feeling the need to be close to him in the afterglow of their lovemaking. She gazed up at him and said, "Why did we wait so long for this?"

"Fear," Lee admitted. "Sheer blind panic at the thought of owning up to what we feel for each other, at least for me. I can't speak for you."

"No, that about sums it up for me too," Amanda agreed. "I was afraid too."

"I don't believe that. Not about you," He said as he captured the hand that was caressing his chest with his own stilling her movements as he linked his fingers with hers. "You are the bravest woman I know. I see it every time we're out in the field chasing down the bad guys. You just jump right into everything."

"Sure, I'm all about being brave in situations like that because giving into fear wouldn't do anything but get us into more hot water, but when it comes to this...to the feelings I have for you...I...uh...I've been a complete chicken. I've been in love with you for so long, but I never imagined for a minute that you could ever fall in love with me in return. I was terrified that if I told you how I really felt, you would laugh at me or ridicule me and we'd never be able to be friends or partners again."

"I would never have done that. If I wasn't interested, I'd have just told you so. I owe you that much. If you'd said something sooner, we could have spared ourselves all this dancing around."

"So, why didn't _you_ say anything sooner?"She questioned turning the tables on him. "You could just as easily have ended our stalemate. All it took was those three little words"

"I was deathly afraid that with my bad reputation, you'd tell me to go straight to hell."

"That's just silly," she said. "A reputation is not who you are, it's only what other people think you are."

"Oh, come on, Amanda, the reputation I've got is not entirely unfounded," Lee said. "My past is-"

Amanda silenced him with a finger on his lips. "It's the past, " she said. "And I knew all about your past going into this. Let's face it, we're in our thirties, not our twenties. We both have a past. When you get to be our age, you're not likely to find someone who doesn't have a past."

"There's that logical mind of yours that I love so much," he said as he lightly brushed his lips against hers. "That logic doesn't change the fact that my past is...well...colorful."

"Do you think I don't know that? I know that you think I'm naive, but I'm not naive enough to think that I'm the only woman who's ever shared this bed with you."

"Actually, you are," Lee confessed.

"Come on," she said disbelievingly.

"No, I'm being serious. "While it's true that you're far from being the first woman I ever slept with, you're the only one to share this bed with me. It's brand new. I bought when I moved here."

Amanda smiled at that thought and asked, "So, why _did_ you move anyway? I thought you liked your old place."

"It was a great place, I'm not denying that. It's just that when I realized that you and I were leading up to having a real relationship, something that could be permanent, I wanted a fresh start. I wanted someplace that I could be free from reminders of the past that I'm trying to leave behind."

"I get that," Amanda said thoughtfully her mind a jumble as she thought about him saying that he felt their relationship could be permanent. "You know, I felt the same way after my divorce. I bought all brand-new bedroom furniture and I even talked my mother into switching bedrooms with me so I wouldn't be sleeping in the same room I shared with Joe."

"I never knew that," Lee said pondering her words.

"You never asked," She said.

"No, I never did, but to be fair, every time that I've ever asked you about your marriage, you've clammed up."

"It's always been hard for me to talk about," Amanda said.

"Why? I don't get it. I'm a huge failure when it comes to lasting relationships, yet you were actually married for ten years."

"Well, the fact that I'm not _still_ married should tell you that I'm no great success as relationships either. I couldn't make my husband want to stay with me," she said sadly. "I did everything. I supported him through law school, I tried to make a warm, welcoming home for him, I gave him two children, supported his career choices even though I'd rather have had him home with our family and it still didn't matter. None of it was enough."

Lee's heart broke for Amanda at the pain her divorce had put her through. "Hey, that doesn't mean that you're a failure," he said firmly as he caressed her face. "If you want my opinion, he's the one who failed _you _by not sticking around for his family, leaving you with two babies to raise by yourself."

"It's not entirely his fault. He asked, in fact, begged me several times to go with him, but I couldn't. I couldn't see dragging the boys all over the place when they were so little. Jamie wasn't even two months old the first time he left. That's no kind of life for children."

"Tell me about it," Lee said. "I lived that life, being non-stop dragged all over hell's half-acre whenever the colonel got transferred somewhere new. It's not easy for a kid to adapt when you have to make new friends everywhere you go and them leave them and start all over again somewhere else, always being the new kid, never being able to form lasting friendships. It's rough. Take if from a guy who lived it, I believe you made the right decision for your children."

"I wonder sometimes. They barely know their father because of it," she said skeptically. "Did I ever tell you that he once tried to talk me into going with him and leaving the boys with my mother?"

"No, you never did," Lee said surprised that the man would have had the gall to ask such a thing of her. Didn't he know her at all? He had to have realized that she would never have agreed to desert her children to be raised by someone else. Hearing her talk about what went wrong with her ex just enforced his opinion that he'd like nothing better than to drag Joe King from the bumper of his car. "He's an idiot. If you were _my_ wife, I'd never leave your side if I could help it."

"If I were your wife, huh? Is that your way of _not _proposing again," she teased as she shifted positions to lie fully on his chest propping her head up on her hands to look into his eyes.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?" he said with a chuckle as he lightly stroked her back.

"Uh-huh," she said with a wicked glint in her eyes.

"Well, you never did really give me a straight answer earlier," He said. "You said that you'd have to have time to think about it since I'd never met your family. Now that I've met them I think it's time for a real answer."

"You want a real answer, there needs to be a real question first," she fired back.

Lee couldn't help but laugh. "I guess there does," He agreed. "Although, in a way, there kind of already was. Maybe you weren't listening just a few minutes ago, I did tell you that I thought you and I could have something permanent."

"Oh, no, I _was _listening, hanging on every word, in fact. I very clearly caught that, but saying you're thinking about something permanent doesn't necessarily equate to a marriage proposal."

"Is that what you want?"Lee asked feeling suddenly unsure of himself.

"Is that what _you_ want?"Amanda returned unwilling to give him an inch of wiggle room now that she had him where she wanted him.

"Amanda King, you can be the most maddening woman! Why do you have always have to answer a question by repeating _my_ question?"

"Why are you afraid to ask the right question?"She countered with a challenging smirk. When he was silent and just looked at her like he was deeply contemplating it. "It's ok, Lee. After three years of waiting for this, I'm not in any hurry. We've gotten the hard part out of the way now."

"Yeah, we sure did," Lee said. He couldn't resist teasing her since she'd been teasing him. "Emphasis on the hard," he whispered low in her ear nipping lightly at her ear lobe.

Amanda shivered at the contact and flushed slightly as the memories of their lovemaking ran through her mind and said, "Well, talk about walking right into things."

Lee laughed heartily glad to finally get one over on her after she'd been making him crazy the whole day. He'd found it endlessly difficult to concentrate on getting through the rest of the work day with her in the office, his thoughts had continually wandered to the kisses they'd shared and the ensuing conversation about their future. "So, you mentioned getting it out of the way. Is that how you really see this?"He asked in a more serious tone as he lightly stroked her bare back.

"Well, yes and no," she admitted. "If we're really honest with ourselves, I think this is something that we've both been thinking about for a long time." She knew she had been thinking about for longer than she cared to admit.

"Ok, I agree with that," He replied. He had to admit she was right. He couldn't count the number of times that he'd thought about what it would be like to be with her.

"But then there's all this pressure surrounding it, both of us afraid to make the wrong move at the wrong time. After three years of dodging our feelings for each other, I think it's good that we finally got over our mutual fear and relaxed. Now, we can just enjoy our time together without all that tension between us."

"So," Lee began hesitantly. "Was it worth the wait?" He held his breath waiting for her answer. When she replied with just a smile, he gave her that look that she knew all too well, the one that said she was trying his patience. "Well?"

Amanda laughed at knowing she was getting to him and said, "Let's put it this way, if I'd known that it would be this good between us, I think I'd have jumped you the first time I met you in the train station."

Lee laughed at this and realized that she was right. The fact that they'd finally taken the plunge had relieved the tension. It felt good to just hold her and laugh with her. "Oh, you would not have," He said. "That is a complete exaggeration. Like you said earlier, you're not the kind of woman who just jumps into bed with a man."

"Ok, you got me there. Maybe not the first time, but I definitely would have made a move sooner to get your attention."

"Amanda, what you don't realize is that you _always_ had my attention, even that day in the train station."

"Now, who's exaggerating," Amanda said with a chuckle.

"I'm not," Lee said. "I'm not saying that it was love at first sight or anything, but there was something about you that caught my attention. Do you think I would have handed off classified information to just _any_ stranger?"

"So, why me? I mean, there were hundreds of people in that train station that day."

"That's a question I've been asking myself for three years and I still can't quite put my finger on it. There was some kind of connection there that I've never been able to figure out. I just know that when I saw you there, I saw something about you, something in your eyes that told me I could trust you. So, what about you? I must have looked like a complete lunatic to you, so why'd you take the package?"

"The same reason, I guess," she said thoughtfully. "Some kind of unspoken connection. When you looked at me with that pleading, desperate look in your eyes, it was like...I don't know...like you needed me."

"I _did_ need you," Lee said. "But that doesn't really explain why you took such a risk for a complete stranger."

"It's kind of hard to explain. I'd only been divorced for a year, but Joe and I had been separated long before that and I was in this dead-end relationship that I knew was going nowhere. My whole life revolved around my children and it was nice to be really needed by another adult."

"I guess I can understand that," Lee said.

"Plus, there was the added bonus that you're incredibly cute," she said with a smile.

"So, let me get this straight, if I was a dog, you wouldn't have taken it?" He joked.

"You _are_ a dog," She joked back. "Look at your history with women."

"And it is exactly that, history," Lee said firmly in a much more serious tone. "To tell you the truth, you're the first woman I've been to bed with in over a year."

"Get out of here," she said in astonishment.

"It's true, Amanda. I think it started right around the time that you pretended to be my girlfriend for my uncle's benefit. That's when it started to really sink in that I thought of you as more than a friend."

"Hmm," Amanda said as she pondered his confession. "Now, wait a minute. That can't be true. What about Randi?"

"Randi and I never got that far. You kept interrupting as I recall. That also got me thinking."

"How so?"

"Well, I wasn't all that broken up about Randi dumping me, for one thing. That and I found myself more excited to see you there than her. What really made it sink in was when you took that job with Byron Jordan. It made me realize how much I didn't want to lose you in my life. What about you?"

"What about me, what?"Amanda asked evasively not really wanting to answer the question for fear of where it might lead the conversation. When Lee just glared at her she said, "Ok, ok. I think it was a little earlier for me. It really hit me when we were on that honeymoon cruise and had to get married to maintain our cover."

"Oh?"Lee asked in surprise. "Does that mean you were thinking about marrying me for real?"

Amanda sighed as her prediction came true. "If you recall, I thought it _was_ for real. I didn't find out until after the fact that you'd falsified all your information. The thing is, though, it wasn't really about the idea of marrying you. What got me thinking was the way you kissed me. I mean, we'd kissed before on assignment, but this one was different. It could have been just a quick peck on the lips to get it over with, but it wasn't. The way you kissed me that day and the way you looked at me afterward, it was like you wanted more, which made me realize that I wanted more."

"Maybe I did," Lee confessed. "I can't deny that I was attracted to you even then. I do have to admit that that case got me thinking about what it would be like to be married to you."

"Which brings us right back to where we were," Amanda said. "The unasked question."

"How about we start with a simpler question?" Lee said tentatively.

"And what's that?"Amanda asked with a smile.

Seeing the look in her eyes that said he could trust her with his life gave Lee a little more courage. "Can you stay tonight?"

"That was my plan when I asked you to bring me here," She said.

"Good," Lee said with a glowing smile as he softly kissed her. Feeling her shiver, he shifted their positions to pull the covers over them and they snuggled up together the conversation dwindling as they drifted off to sleep wrapped up in each other.


	6. The Second Act

**The Second Act**

Friday night/Saturday Morning 1:00AM

After making love for the first time and the intense conversation that had followed, Lee and Amanda slept peacefully together. Lee awoke first with a blissful smile on his face as he gazed down at the beautiful woman who lay sleeping in his arms with her head on his chest. He was amazed that after all was said and done, she had not had one of those "Oh, my God, what have I done" moments. She had just snuggled up against him and told him that she loved him. _She loves me, _He thought with a giddy smile hardly able to believe he'd heard her say those words. He would never have imagined that someone like Amanda could ever love him, especially after all the times he had tried to push her away. He was happier than he ever could have guessed he would be, but at the same time he felt as if he didn't deserve her love.

He kissed the top of her head softly as he brushed her hair back from her face, trying not to wake her but at the same time wanting to look at her. He kept gazing down at her as if trying to reassure himself that it wasn't all just a dream. She was sleeping so contentedly with a satisfied smile on her face that he was sure matched his own. The way she was smiling he wondered if she was dreaming about him the way that he'd just been dreaming about her. He lazily ran his fingers down her back and closed his eyes as he relived the memories of their intimacy. His eyes darted open a few minutes later as he was pulled out of his reverie by Amanda's lips on his chest pressing soft kisses into his skin. He sighed at the heady feeling her touch created. "Hi," he said softly. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't," she said as she raised her head up to kiss him. "What time is it anyway?"

Lee glanced at the clock and answered, "A little after one," hoping that she wasn't asking so that she could make an excuse to make a hasty exit. She'd said she was going to spend the night, but he hoped that waking up in a strange bed wouldn't cause her to bolt now that she'd had more time to think.

"Oh," She said. "Good, that means we've still got a lot left of this weekend."

"Oh?"Lee said with a grin. "And just what do you have planned for the rest of this weekend?"

"I'm sure if we put our heads together, we can think of something to do to pass the time," She said. "Personally, I thought we'd start with something like this." She shifted positions so that she was lying fully atop him as she kissed him firmly.

Lee responded by tangling his hands in her hair and urging her lips apart with his tongue wanting desperately to taste her again. He felt his arousal building once more as he explored her mouth with his tongue and felt her slender body pressed into his. He groaned as he felt Amanda sliding her hand down his side to reach between them and grasp his rapidly expanding erection firmly. "Oh, God," he said as he tore his mouth from hers at the sensations she was creating.

"No, _Amanda_," she corrected with a mischievous grin as she lowered her lips to his neck finding the pulse point there and suckling it causing him to groan again. She trailed kisses across his shoulder and down to his chest thumbing his masculine nipples into hardness before taking one in her mouth nipping at it with her teeth. She delighted in his response, feeling him twitch beneath her.

"Amanda," he growled low in his throat at what she was doing to him.

At hearing her name, she raised her head to look at him and said, "That's better."

He laughed and said, "Amanda." as he pulled her head down for another kiss and wrapped his arms around her wanting to be as close to her as possible. He shifted their positions so that they were both lying on their sides as he kissed her and pulled her tightly against him running his hands down her back to her taut bottom. She moaned as he gave it a gentle squeeze.

Amanda couldn't get over how comfortable she felt with the new intimacy between them and how she felt that she couldn't get enough of him. When she felt him grasping her rear, she hooked one leg over his hip to encourage him and was thrilled when he took the bait. She pulled back from their kiss breathlessly whispering his name as he slipped his hand between her legs and began expertly stroking her. Their kisses had barely ended when she felt his lips on her neck. She was lost in sensation and very quickly was crying out as yet another intense climax hit her. She didn't have time to fully recover before he grasped her hips and entered her, moving slowly in and out of her. She cradled his head in her arms raining kisses on his neck and face.

"Amanda," Lee gasped out as her continued to move within her enjoying the slow pace this angle created allowing him to truly relish every sensation that being with her brought. How had he ever thought it would be a good idea to wait any longer for this? There was no other feeling like this, no other woman had ever given him as much as she had or made him feel the way that she did. He never wanted this feeling to end. "I love you," he whispered running one hand through her hair while the other still grasped her hip as they moved together.

"I love you too," she said with tears of happiness forming in her eyes at seeing the unabashed love in his eyes. She drew his head to hers for another kiss trying to express everything she felt for him. She sighed contentedly at the overwhelming feelings he was creating, between him returning her kisses, his one hand caressing her face and neck as it moved through her hair, the other hand holding onto her hip and then there was the biggie, how he felt inside her. She felt like she could enjoy that forever.

Lost in the moment, not another word was spoken between them as they kissed and touched holding onto each other, both savoring every moment of their new- found intimacy. Their hands and mouths explored, getting to know every nuance of one another and what each of them found pleasurable, something that they hadn't fully taken time to do due to the intensity of their first time together. Once they were both spent, neither made a move to shift their positions. They continued to lie as there were, on their sides facing each other their limbs tangled together, holding one another and sharing slow, languorous kisses while their heartbeats slowed and their breathing returned to normal.

Lee was the first to speak when they finally stopped kissing. He noticed the tears that had fallen on her cheek and felt a momentary surge of panic rise up in him. "Are you ok," he said mentally kicking himself thinking he'd pushed her too far. He tried to extricate himself from her grasp but she used her arms and her leg that was still draped across his hip to hold him there.

"Don't move. Let me just hold you a little while longer," she rasped out, her voice filled with emotion.

Lee cupped her face in his hands, wiping away a stray tear. His voice filled with worry he asked, "Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you?" Did I-" His words were halted by her fingers on his lips.

"Shhh," she said reassuringly. "No, you didn't hurt me and you didn't do anything wrong. You did everything just right."

"Then what's going on here?" he said indicating his hand still touching her tear-streaked face.

"I...I just..."Amanda paused searching for the right words and found that she couldn't put into words everything she was feeling."I'm just so happy," she blurted out for lack of something better to say.

"Happy?" he questioned disbelievingly. _If she's happy, what the hell are the tears about? _He couldn't help thinking.

"Yeah, happy," she said with a joyful smile. _Doesn't he understand that I've never felt like this before? _She thought wondering just how dim he was.

Seeing the smile that he loved so much, Lee relaxed a little. "You're sure?"

"Mm-hmm," she said warmly as she lovingly stroked his face. "You know, for a guy with the word "intelligence" in his job title, you can be awfully dense sometimes."

"Hey!" he said with a playful swat to her bottom. "You're gonna' pay for that!" He rolled her beneath him and began to tickle her mercilessly making her squeal.

"No, stop it," she protested. When he continued his assault, her protests became louder. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!"

"Uh-uh," he said as he found one ticklish spot after another delighting in feeling her squirming beneath him. "Not until you take it back!"

"Never!" she said then screeched as he found her most ticklish spot just beneath her ribs. She giggled as he continued his attack and said, "Lee, stop! We're gonna wake your neighbors."

"I don't care," he said with a devilish grin laughing heartily knowing that he'd found her weakness.

"Ok, ok, I take it back!" she said still laughing.

"Good, that's what I thought," Lee said with a self-satisfied smirk that he'd won this round. He rolled onto his back and Amanda snuggled up against him again. "So, why would you even care about waking my neighbors?"

"Well, you did just move in here. You dot want to alienate them already," she explained.

"Oh, I see. That's kind of funny because you didn't seem a bit worried about waking them a little while ago," he teased with a mischievous grin. "You were pretty...um...vocal."

"You weren't exactly mute yourself," she countered as she raked her fingernails down his bare chest. "Besides, it didn't seem like you minded. In fact, it seemed to me that my...vocal-ness got you even more excited."

"I admit it did," Lee said. "Hearing you calling out my name, knowing that you were enjoying our lovemaking as much as I was, it was...well, it was definitely a big turn-on."

"Hmmm," was Amanda's only response surprised to hear him admit it.

"I don't see where that's necessarily a bad thing," Lee said a little concerned by her response. He knew everyone at the office always saw her as a little repressed and he had to admit, he'd been guilty of thinking it too until today. She'd been so forthright, so open, he realized how wrong he and everyone else had been in that assessment, but her silence was now making him wonder if there wasn't maybe a little repression there. "I mean, what's wrong with taking pleasure in pleasing your lover?" _Lover, _He thought turning the word over in his mind. He smiled at the thought that not only was Amanda his best friend and his partner, now she was also his lover. It had surprised him how easily and comfortably they'd crossed that line with so little fallout. He should have known it would be too good to be true.

Amanda pondered his words. _Lover, _she thought. Until she'd heard him say the word, she hadn't really thought about referring to him that way, but he was most definitely her lover now. _And what a lover he is_," she thought. She'd always known that he was...well...experienced and had many times imagined how skilled he would be at pleasing a woman. If the man could cause her knees to buckle with just a look, she'd never had any doubt that if and when they ever consummated their relationship that it would be good. What she had never imagined in her wildest dreams was how loving he would be, how thoughtful. While her experience hadn't been as vast as Lee's, she'd experienced the whole rainbow, good, bad and indifferent, particularly in the later years of her marriage when neither she or Joe were yet willing to admit that the spark that had drawn them together was no longer there. While they still loved each other, the non-stop distance had killed their passion for one another and had turned that once-romantic love into that of a comfortable friendship.

Lee couldn't bear the silence and softly whispered, "Amanda?"

"Hmmm?"She said broken out of her reverie.

"What's going on in the busy head of yours?" he asked as he smoothed her hair away from her face and drew her head up to face him. "Did I go too far? With what I said, I mean?"

Amanda was a little worried to see the insecurity in Lee's eyes the tension in his jaw as he clenched his teeth while waiting for her answer. "Lee, no," she said reassuringly as she softly caressed his face and placed a soft kiss to his lips. "To answer your question, there's not a thing wrong with taking pleasure in pleasing your...lover. In fact, it's really very sweet." She kissed him again. "And terribly romantic." She was pleased to see him relax. She had to wonder with all the horrors and all the loss he'd seen in his life if he would ever get over his feelings of insecurity. The man was such a contradiction. On the job, he was oozed confidence, even a little cockiness, but when it came to relationships she knew he was still terrified of losing yet another person that he cared for. While she had managed to pull him out of the cocoon of self-preservation that he'd wrapped himself in for years, she knew that there was still a lot of work to be done to get him to fully spread his wings and fly. Amanda smiled at the butterfly analogy in her head and was struck by just how much it fit him. He had undergone a dramatic transformation in the three years she'd known him.

"Good," Lee said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "Like I said earlier, I don't want to screw this up with you. You're too important to me and I guess I'm just afraid of chasing you off by doing something stupid."

"Lee, don't worry about that. You should know by now you can say anything to me and you're not going to chase me off." She couldn't resist poking fun at him a little more. "I've stuck around this long, haven't I? Even if you do something stupid as you're often prone to do."

"Hey! I thought you said you were taking that back," he said. "Do I need to teach you another lesson?"

Amanda's heart felt a little lighter as seeing the smile return to his face. "I'm just teasing. Besides, you wore me out so I don't think I have the energy right now to go another round."

"You're not giving up on me already, are you," He teased. "I thought you said you had plans for the whole weekend."

"The weekend's not even close to over yet," Amanda said. "I don't have to be back at home until Sunday afternoon and this is only Saturday morning and very early Saturday morning at that. Besides, it took me so long to get you to hold still long enough to get to this point, I don't plan on giving up that easily."

"Have I really been that hard to pin down?"Lee questioned.

"If the impasse between us hadn't ended, I was seriously thinking of using my handcuffs to make you stand in one place for more than three seconds," Amanda joked.

"Ooh, handcuffs," Lee said in a low, seductive voice. "Huh, I really am learning a lot more about you."

"I didn't mean it like that," Amanda said blushing furiously as she playfully slapped at him.

He captured her hand and kissed it. "I know that. I just can't resist getting a rise out of you. You're so cute when you blush like that."

Amanda quickly turned the tables on him and said, "I know that I rather enjoyed getting a _rise_ out of you."

Lee laughed. _How does she always do that? _He thought. Every time he thought he had the upper hand with her, she still somehow always managed to trump him. He felt her shudder next to him and noticed she was trying to stifle a yawn. "We should try to get some more sleep," He said as he sat up long enough to straighten the tangled bedding and wrap it back around them before snuggling back up with her.

"Yeah, I'm sleepy," she said softly kissing him. "Good-night,, Sweetheart."

_Sweetheart, _he thought smiling at the endearment. He'd never thought of himself as someone's sweetheart, but he liked the sound of it. "Good-night," he replied as he brushed his lips against her hair and closed his eyes soon falling into a peaceful sleep.


	7. Curtain Call

**Curtain Call**

Saturday Morning 8:00AM

Amanda awoke with renewed energy having slept better than she had in a long time. It was the first time in years that she hadn't woken up alone. She gazed lovingly at the man sleeping beside her and thought about how easily she could get used to waking up next to him every day. _Stop it, Amanda! _She chided herself. They were just now getting to the point where their relationship was becoming serious. While they'd both confessed that there were in love with each other, they still had a lot to talk about regarding their future. Her mind flashed back to their recent lovemaking and the tenderness Lee had shown her and the way it had brought tears to her eyes. She had never felt so cherished in her life.

Amanda took in everything about Lee as he lay sleeping, the mussed hair, the serene smile on his face accenting his adorable dimples, his slow, even breathing indicating a peace within him that she'd never seen. Her heart swelled with love for him. She brushed a clump of hair away from his face, softly pressed her lips against his and quietly slipped out of bed careful not to wake him, as she knew from numerous undercover assignments what a light sleeper he was.

She padded her way into the living room surveying the room, her purse on the floor just inside the front door where she'd dropped it upon entering the apartment last night, their discarded clothing haphazardly scattered around. She picked up the dress she'd worn then decided against putting it back on. While it may be great for a night out, it didn't look so great in the harsh light of day. She laid it across the back of the couch. Looking at it, she couldn't believe she'd actually had the courage to wear it on a date with Lee. She knew Lee had seen her in it before at embassy parties, but it was entirely different when they weren't working and the social interaction was strictly about the two of them. Glaring at the dress she thought, _what was I thinking? Why did I let my mother talk me into this? _She shook off that thought and smiled because it had actually worked in her favor. She thought of the adoring expression on Lee's face as she'd descended the stairs wearing it.

She glanced around the room again spotting Lee's shirt and picked it up thinking, t_his'll work for now. _She smiled as she noticed smudges from her own lipstick on the collar and slipped her arms into it rolling up its sleeves that were too long for her. As she fastened just enough buttons to cover her bare body she felt a renewed wave of desire come over her as his scent on the fabric invaded her nostrils. Having this scent that was so unique to Lee so close to her made her think back to all the times that they'd been close, whether it was a friendly hug or the numerous times they'd huddled together to hide from their enemies. She realized that the scent had always brought her comfort now brought on entirely new feelings now that they had crossed the intimacy threshold.

Amanda scanned the apartment trying to get the lay of the land since she'd never been here before. She quickly spotted the dining table and made her way toward it thinking that the kitchen must be somewhere beyond it. She was in dire need of coffee and just hoped that Lee's kitchen wasn't as bare as she'd seen it at his old place. As she stepped through the doorway of the dining room, the kitchen door became visible to her. She made her way through it and was pleased to see a coffee maker on the countertop. She quickly started a pot of coffee as she took in her surroundings while waiting for it to brew.

She couldn't help but notice the blue curtains at the window and wondered if that was her influence. She looked down at the rug under her bare feet, then back up at the curtains and realized they were the same ones she'd bought during their first "marriage." She laughed softly wondering how Lee had ended up with them. She'd always just assumed that they'd been removed from the house by the agency along with everything else when they'd abounded the house upon resolving their case. She'd have to remember to ask him about that, maybe even tease him a little as she reflected back on how he'd eventually told her after their fight that he liked blue a lot better.

Reminiscing about that case, about how awkward it had been to pretend to be his wife, made her think back to their playful banter about marriage proposals and smile. _Maybe someday_, she thought. While she'd teased him several times about it since he'd been the first one to bring up the subject in the office yesterday, she wasn't sure how she'd react if he actually seriously proposed. While they had taken a big step forward in their relationship, that was a much bigger step. It would be very complicated. Her family had just met him and while she was now assured of his love for her, she wasn't sure that he'd be ready to take on the responsibility of a ready-made family never having had any of his own.

_Then there was the flip side_, Amanda thought as she rooted through the cabinets to find a coffee and pour herself a cup of the steaming liquid before turning back to stare out the window. _If things ever progressed that far, how would the boys react to a new stepfather? _They were just starting to build a relationship with their own father for the first time. Joe had only been back in the country for five months and it had taken him some time to get settled into a new place. This weekend was kind of an experiment. It was the first time ever since the divorce that he would have the boys by himself for an entire weekend. He'd been visiting the house on the weekends and had taken the boys on little day trips to ball games and other events, but they'd never spent a night with him, let alone a whole weekend. She'd been leery about allowing it at first, but she'd reasoned that he was still their father and had a right to spend time with his children.

Thinking of Joe's relationship with the boys caused Amanda's thoughts to drift back through the years she'd worked with Lee and how many times he'd gone out of his way to make sure that her children were safe and protected. That then made her think about the things he'd done for their birthdays, Pretzel, the clown for Jamie's and Captain Galaxy for Phillip's, the kind of things that a parent was supposed to do. She then thought of how he'd rigged the trip to Munich as a contest winning so that the boys could travel with her allowing her to complete her assignment for the agency without having to leave them behind. Then she thought about how many times when her house was under surveillance by enemy agents he'd made sure the agency picked up the tab for the hotel bills. She couldn't help thinking that even though he'd met them less than twenty-four hours ago; he'd been there for her children so much, without their knowing about it, that in a way, he had been more of a father figure to them in three years than Joe had been in their entire lives. All of these thought about Lee got Amanda seriously thinking that maybe it wouldn't be such a big adjustment for Lee to adapt to family life.

Saturday Morning, 9:00AM

Lee awoke but kept his eyes shut tight to fight off the bright morning sunlight streaming in through the partially open curtains. He recalled that Amanda had briefly gotten out of bed to open the window for some fresh air. He smiled as he remembered their undercover assignment at the Marvelous Marvin's convention when she'd told him that she liked to sleep with the window cracked. He finally opened his eyes and reached for her only to be startled by finding he was in bed alone. _How the hell did that happen?_ He thought. He was a very light sleeper so he couldn't fathom how she'd gotten out of bed without waking him. He quickly jumped out of bed and fumbled for his robe panicking that she'd begun to suffer from morning-after guilt after all. He walked to the window and yanked the offending curtains closed before exiting the room. "Amanda?" he called. Not hearing a response, he made his way through the living room and called again, "Amanda?"

Relief flooded through him as he heard her answer back, "In the kitchen." He quickly entered the kitchen to find her gazing out the window. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her wearing the dress shirt she'd stripped off of him last night, the sleeves rolled up and her long, tanned legs peeking out from the tails of the shirt that she was swimming in. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. He approached her, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and softly nuzzled her neck. "Good morning," she said dreamily as she squeezed his hand affectionately.

"Morning," he replied as he peeked through the curtains to see what she was staring at so intently. "Is something going on out there?"

"No," She said. "I was watching people coming and going. Casual surveillance, you know. More than anything, I was just thinking," She said as she took a sip from the coffee cup she had in her hand. "There's fresh coffee if you'd like some."

"Maybe in a minute," he said as he took her cup from her hands, set it down on the counter and turned her to face him. His breath stopped short again as he realized that she'd only fastened a couple of the buttons on his shirt. He gazed at her appreciatively.

Amanda flushed at his intense scrutiny of her. "I...uh...I hope you don't mind," She said indicating his shirt. "I wanted something to put on and a cocktail dress didn't seem appropriate."

"No, not at all, I like the way you look in my shirt," he said his voice thick with a fresh wave of desire for her as he pulled her to him and kissed her passionately.

Amanda's response was instantaneous. She locked her hands behind his head and kissed him back feverishly longing for the feelings he created in her to continue. Their kiss was interrupted by the loud growling of her stomach. "Hold that thought," she said.

"You want some breakfast?"Lee asked.

"You'd have to have food in your kitchen first," She teased.

"I _do _have food in my kitchen," he said.

"Since when," Amanda questioned.

"Since I moved in here," he answered. He opened the refrigerator door and indicated the fully stocked shelves. "You may not have noticed, but other than the times you and I have been together, I don't go out like I used to. Now, do you want some breakfast or not?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice," She said with a smile.

Lee poured himself a cup of coffee, doctoring it with cream the way he liked it. He took a sip of the brew before rooting through the fridge to begin making breakfast for the woman he loved. "How long have you been up anyway," he asked.

Amanda glanced at the clock on the microwave. "About an hour. What's got you so chipper this morning?" she queried as she picked up her coffee taking another sip of it. "You're not usually this upbeat in the morning."

"I had a good night last night," He said with a smile as he began breaking eggs into a mixing bowl. He paused in his task long enough to give her a quick kiss before resuming breakfast preparations.

"A good night, huh? You care to elaborate," she said.

"Well, it all started with this amazingly beautiful woman falling into my arms wearing this incredibly sexy dress that left very little to the imagination."

"Liked the dress, did you?"Amanda said with an impish grin.

"It drove me crazy all through dinner last night," he replied as he gazed at her with a rakish smile.

"Good," Amanda said nodding firmly. "That's exactly what it was intended for."

"Oh, is that so?"Lee said with an arched eyebrow. "Was this all part of some evil plan to seduce me?"

"Seduce you? Me? Mm-mm-," she said with an unconvincing shake of her head.

"Uh-huh, that's what I thought," Lee said not buying it after the way she'd jumped the second his front door had been closed.

"Do you want some help with that?" Amanda said nodding toward his task.

"Nope," he said. "You've cooked for me at your place several times. Now, it's my turn to cook for you."

"Ok, suit yourself she said as she started to leave the kitchen.

"Where are you going," Lee asked.

"While you're doing that, I thought I'd go pick up the living room and make it look a little more presentable. We did kind of make a mess of it."

"You don't have to do that, Amanda. You're a guest. You shouldn't have to do housework while you're here," Lee argued.

"A guest? Is that what I am?"Amanda questioned at his choice of words.

"Well, I'd say it fits. You spent the night and you don't live here so I'd say guest works."

"Oh," she said disappointment evident in her eyes at having been downgraded from lover to merely guest, which was a term that could apply to anyone paying him a visit.

Seeing the look on her face, Lee instantly regretted his words. "I suppose I could call you my girlfriend," he said tentatively not sure how she'd react to it. It seemed like such a juvenile word.

"Girlfriend is better," She said her face brightening a little.

"Or we could go with...I don't know...fiancée, maybe." he said as he quickly ducked down to rummage in a lower cabinet for a skillet unsure if he wanted to see her reaction.

Amanda smiled and said, "Yes, but then fiancée' eventually is supposed to wife."

"Wife," Lee said as he rose abruptly banging his head on the countertop in the process. "Ow," he said rubbing his head with one hand as he used the other to set the skillet down on the stove harder than he'd intended to, making a loud clang

Amanda couldn't help but laugh at his awkwardness. "Are you ok?"

"You laugh at me and then ask if I'm ok?"Lee growled.

"I'm sorry," she said still chuckling. "Where does it hurt?"

"Don't bother," Lee said with a mock pout. "It's too late now. You just go on and do what you were going to do. It's not like you ever listen to me anyway. I'll call you when breakfast is ready."

"Ok," she said planting a quick kiss on his lips before heading to the door. She paused in the doorway unable to resist one more jibe. "You know, if you don't ask the question, then we'll just have to stick with girlfriend for now." She quickly trotted to the living room without giving him a chance to respond leaving Lee shaking his head in amusement in her wake.


	8. Re-Working the Script

**Re-working the Script**

Saturday Morning, 10:00AM

While Lee was putting breakfast on the table, he noticed that Amanda had indeed straightened up the living room. He got a little concerned when he didn't see her anywhere. He also noticed that her dress from the night before was no longer lying over the back of the couch where she'd laid it. He once again felt panic rising in him that she may have bolted. Maybe the joking about marriage had been too much for her and she'd let her fear take over again. He didn't remember hearing the front door, but he had also been occupied with cooking. He walked down the hallway toward the bedroom calling out her name. "Amanda?" When he heard no response, his panic level increased and he moved quickly to his bedroom hoping to find her there. As he entered the room, he saw that the bed had been made and her dress was laid across it. It was then that he noticed the bathroom door had been closed and had just a sliver of light peeking out from beneath the door.

His head began to clear at the relief that flooded through him and it was then that his muddled brain registered the muffled sound of the shower. He stepped into the bathroom and stopped in his tracks at the sight of her bare body silhouetted against his shower curtain. _God, she's beautiful, _he thought. He took a step toward her and then thought better of it, unsure of how she'd react. He started to make his way back toward the bedroom when she made his next move for him.

"You're welcome to join me in here," Amanda said as she poked her head through the curtain and gave him her best come-hither smile.

Lee didn't hesitate a second longer. He dropped his robe to the floor and stepped into the shower with her. "Hi," he said.

"Hello, yourself," she said as she handed him a soapy washcloth. "Can you get my back for me?"

His breath caught in his throat as he gazed at her naked, wet body in front of him before answering in a hoarse whisper, "Yeah. Turn around." Once she'd turned, he slowly ran the cloth down her back working the soap into a thick lather getting him worked up in the process. In spite of the hot water, he felt her shiver under his touch and knew that he was getting to her too. He smiled at knowing he could get a reaction out of her the same way she did out of him. He pushed her wet hair over one shoulder while he lowered his lips to the other.

Amanda leaned into him savoring the feeling of his lips on her skin, but couldn't resist teasing him. "That's not my back."

"Isn't this what you really wanted when you invited me in here," he fired back as he moved his lips to her neck suckling the pulse point there delighted at hearing her gasp at the contact.

"Yes," she said in a raspy passion-filled voice. She turned to face him again taking the cloth from him. She grabbed the soap and began to lather the cloth up again then ran it across his chest paying particular attention the scars on each side as if trying to heal them with her touch. She then moved the cloth down his chest to his abdomen, and then even lower, grasping his shaft firmly in her hand running the cloth back and forth.

"Oh, God, Amanda," he groaned. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?"

"I'm just trying to get you clean," she said with a sultry smile as she released him the turned away from him toward the shower spray to rinse out the cloth.

"Oh, now you're just teasing me," Lee said with a pout.

"Patience," she said as she turned back toward him. With the cloth free of soap, she repeated the same pattern to rinse the soap from his body, starting with his chest and working her way down again this time bending before taking him in her hand again. When she'd removed the soap, she dropped the cloth, gripped him firmly and guided him into her mouth.

"Ohhhh," Lee groaned as her lips closed around him. He'd never imagined, even in his wildest fantasies about her that Amanda King would be doing this to him and so expertly at that. It seemed she knew just what to do with her teeth and her tongue as she drew him in and out of her mouth. When he felt her grasp his ass to draw him in, he knew he had to stop her before it went too far, but it felt so amazing, he wasn't sure he had the strength to. "Amanda," he called out. When she just kept going, he forced himself to reach for her hands and pulled her up to face him before yanking her roughly into his arms and kissing her furiously as he sought her center with one hand wanting to give her the same pleasure she'd been giving him.

Amanda moaned at Lee's assault on her mouth as he probed her mouth with his tongue and her body with his fingers while he stroked her center with his thumb. She breathlessly tore her mouth from his, inhaling precious oxygen as she arched her back against him "Oh, Lee," she cried out. "I want you."

Lee needed no further invitation. He used both hands to lift her up pressing her against the shower's wall as he drove up into her causing them both to cry out at the feeling of being joined together once again. This was not the slow, lazy coupling of the early morning. It was fast and frenzied, both of them needing completion that came all too soon. After making love twice the night before, Lee was surprised by how quickly he felt himself erupting inside her. "Wow," Lee said once his heart rate had slowed enough to form words again.

"Yeah," Amanda said kissing him firmly before turning back into the shower's spray to finish cleaning up.

When their shower was finished, they toweled each other off and Lee picked up his robe putting it back on and tying it around his waist before picking up his shirt that Amanda had discarded. "Do you wanna wear this again or your dress? I saw that you had it laid out on the bed."

"Well, I don't really have a whole lot of choices," Amanda said taking the shirt and considering her options. "If I'd known for sure that this was going to happen, I'd have brought a change of clothes."

"If I'd known how badly you wanted me, I'd have suggested that you pack a bag when we were at your house," he teased.

"You're not helping," she said with an exasperated look on her face.

"I'll tell you what. Since I imagine our breakfast has gotten cold by now, I'm going to go warm it up while you decide. Of course, it's perfectly fine by me if you just want to stay the way you are," He said with as he surveyed her naked body with a mischievous grin.

"That's not very helpful either, Scarecrow," she said with a chuckle as she playfully shoved him toward the door leading back into the bedroom. "Go on and take care of our breakfast."

Lee couldn't help but laugh at the exasperated look on her face. He kissed her quickly and said, "Don't take too long," before exiting the room.

Lee was just setting their warmed-up breakfast plates back on the table when Amanda entered the dining room once again clad in his shirt. He smiled at her.

"What?" she said self-consciously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, nothing at all. Just admiring the view," He said with a warm smile. He pulled out a chair for her and gestured for her to sit. Once she sat, he scooted her chair in for her before sitting beside her.

She smiled at him and said, "Well, this seemed a little better. It somehow doesn't feel right wearing an evening gown at breakfast."

"Like I said, I wouldn't have minded if you opted out of both," he said with a mirthful smile.

"Since when do you eat breakfast anyway," Amanda asked to change the subject.

"I normally don't. You know that. I have worked up quite an appetite since dinner last night, though," He said seductively.

"Well, this looks delicious," she said trying to steer the conversation to safer waters. She was enjoying every minute of their time together, but she also knew there were many things that they needed to talk about and didn't want to be sidetracked.

_So do you, _Lee thought. "It may not be as good as I intended since it had to be reheated. We kind of got distracted."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Amanda said as she dug in.

"Not that I minded the distraction," he said with a smile. "I think my theory yesterday that I was going to enjoy trying to find out the things I don't know about you was pretty accurate."

"And just what is it you think you know about me that you didn't before," she asked with a smile.

"Well, for one thing, I would never have thought that you'd be so...um...exuberant."

"Part of that may just be because it's been a long time," she teased. "I mean, it may have been a year for you, but it's been longer than that for me, over two years." Lee's face fell at the thought that she may be that way with any guy who happened to be around to scratch her itch. At seeing the expression on his face, Amanda knew she'd gone too far. "Lee, relax," she said as she reached for his hand. "I was just teasing."

Lee said silently for a moment processing her words. "Wait a minute," he said dropping his fork abruptly as an intense wave of jealousy hit him. "We knew each other two years ago. Who were you sleeping with then?"

"You're kidding, right?" Amanda said incredulously. "Lee, you already knew that I was in a relationship when we met."

"You mean that Dan guy? Don't tell me you were sleeping with him?"

"It's Dean and why are you acting like you're surprised by this? I told you that Dean and I had taken vacations together. We _were _almost engaged, after all."

"How can you be _almost_ engaged? You're either you're engaged or you're not," Lee said brusquely his own feelings about marriage to Amanda clouding his emotions.

"Well, he proposed, but I never actually gave him an answer until the day I broke up with him."

Lee fumed silently as he thought about this. He'd said he wanted to get to know Amanda better, but now he was learning things he wished he didn't know. "So, then this is a regular habit for you, not responding to marriage proposals?"

Amanda was taken aback by the savage look on Lee's face. They had been joking since yesterday about a non-existent proposal, but the expression he now wore clearly indicated that he was not joking any longer. He was angry. She felt her own temper rising and said frostily, "I don't recall _hearing_ a marriage proposal from you."

"What more does it take, Amanda? I told you that I'm crazy in love with you, that I want something permanent with you. Never mind, just forget it. You're clearly not interested," he said as he stabbed his fork into his eggs and looked away from her.

"Lee, look at me," Amanda pleaded. When he ignored her, she reached out and touched his face. "Lee, please," she said in a frantic voice, tears forming in her eyes. When he finally turned his head back to look at her she said, "I never said I wasn't interested. I just feel like there's an awful lot we still need to talk about before we start seriously considering something like that."

"You're right," Lee said. "I'm sorry that I lost my temper like that. I don't know what came over me. I just know that what I feel for you is stronger than anything I've ever felt for any woman in my life. I don't wanna lose that, lose you." His facial expression had turned from one of anger to one of despair.

"You're not going to, Lee. As long as it took us to get to this point, I'm not letting you get away that easily. If you remember our conversation from last night, you should know that I'm crazy in love with you too. I wasn't with Dean. That's why I turned him down. To answer your question, it is not my habit to ignore marriage proposals. Aside from the fact that I love you and I didn't love him, the difference is that he _asked_, several times, in fact. I just kept telling him that I needed more time. You on the other hand, have never actually asked."

"God, this is making me crazy," He said sighing in frustration as he ran his hands through his hair. "_You_ are making me crazy."

"How am I the one making _you_ crazy? You're the one who brought up the subject of marriage in the first place."

"What," Lee said a little startled. "No, I'm not."

"You most certainly are," Amanda replied. "Yesterday in the office when we were talking about whether or not we should take the next step, you started talking about how you assumed, wrongly, that I wouldn't sleep with a man I wasn't married to."

"Huh," Lee said thinking about the events in the office. He'd been talking about her previous marriage and he realized how it could have seemed to her that he'd hinted that he'd be willing to wait until marriage for her. He shook his head. "Ok, I guess I am."

"Yeah," she said. "It threw me at first, that's why I tried to make a joke out of it which promptly backfired on me when you kept asking me what I'd say if you proposed."

"If I thought for one second that you'd seriously consider it, I'd get down on my knees in a heartbeat if that's what it took to get you to say yes. You're it for me, Amanda. I don't want anybody else, ever." _There, I finally said it, _he thought as he waited anxiously for her response.


	9. Improvisational Theater

**Improvisational Theater**

Saturday morning, 11:00AM

Amanda gaped at Lee in stunned silence. _Is he serious?_ The teasing had been one thing, but now between his angry outburst and now his seemingly sincere declaration that she was the only one he ever wanted, she was finding it difficult to breathe, her heart racing furiously.

Lee reached for her hand, "Amanda, please say something. Tell me I'm crazy, tell me to go to hell, anything, just say _something_," He pleaded.

"You're not crazy," she said softly as she squeezed his hand. She licked her lips nervously and continued. "You're the only one I can see myself ever being with too."

"I sense a "but" coming on," Lee said apprehensively.

"There is a "but" and it's that we shouldn't rush headlong into things without talking a few things over first."

"I don't get it, Amanda. Weren't you the one who said just yesterday that you thought things between us hadn't progressed far enough or fast enough?"

"Yes, I did," Amanda softly replied. "But I meant as far as progressing from the casual dating and flirting we've been doing to owning up to what we really feel for each other and we've done that."

"So, what, that's just it? This is our future together? We don't progress any further?"

"No, I didn't say that. I'm just saying that now that we both know we have something real between us, we should just take some time to enjoy it, relax, have some fun together and see where it leads us. Besides, it's complicated."

"No, Amanda, it's not. It's very, very simple. I love you and you love me."

"Yes, but something like this is going to affect more than just you and me."

"You mean your family?" Lee said.

"Not my mother so much. I think she'd be thrilled to no end. When I kissed her good-bye last night, she told me not to let you get away and that was after only meeting you for five minutes." Lee laughed at hearing her mother's opinion. Amanda smiled immensely glad to hear him laugh again after the tension that had built up between them over their marriage conversation. "It's actually more Phillip and Jamie that I'm concerned with, particularly Jamie. He's always been my baby and he doesn't adapt to change well."

"Yeah, I did notice that he seemed like he doesn't trust me."

"If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't trust Joe either. He was only a baby when Joe started traveling so he has very few memories of his father being around."

"I guess I can see that," Lee said.

"Lee, I want you to know that if I didn't have my children to think about, I'd say yes in a second," she said seriously then smiled and added, "If you ever got up the nerve to ask, that is."

Lee chuckled a little before his expression turned more serious. "So, are you afraid that I wouldn't be able to handle being around the kids?"

"No, I have no doubt that you'd adjust once you got to know them. You have the most giving heart of anyone I've ever met and I know you've been around for the boys for three years, but they just met you last night. I need to allow them some time to adjust to you. Besides that, are you sure you're really ready to take on fatherhood?"

"Amanda, I understand that you and the kids are a package deal and while I may not know the first thing about raising kids, I know that you do and I trust that you'd be there with me to help me every step of the way just like you have been since we first met." He paused for a moment, unsure if he should say what was on his mind as it may ruin the rest of their weekend. He decided it was better to get it out as the subject needed to be brought up. "I may not have a choice anyway," he said.

"What do you mean?"Amanda said evasively. Had it hit him now what had hit her early this morning? She didn't want it to put a damper on their weekend together.

"Amanda, think about it," Lee said. "We've made love three times now and not once have we taken any precautions, at least_ I_ haven't. I wasn't exactly prepared for this happening right now, not that I'm complaining, mind you. It's been amazing, but..."

"...there could be consequences," Amanda finished for him realizing that they were on the same page. "I...uh...I wasn't prepared for this either."

"That means we could have...you could be..." Lee stammered finding he couldn't complete the thought.

"Yeah," Amanda said. "Well, if it happens, there's really only one option for me. I would keep the baby...if there was one, I mean."

"I know that, Amanda. I know you that well." They both fell silent for a moment considering the possibility. "On the plus side, then you'd _have_ to marry me," Lee said with a devilish grin in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Oh, you think so, huh?" Amanda teased back.

"Would it really be so bad? I've known since the day that I met you that you're an incredible mother. I can't think of any woman who'd make a better mother to my children. I want that for my kids someday, even if it doesn't happen right now."

"I didn't say it would be bad. In fact, I was thinking about it this morning when you caught me staring out the window. I thought of all the things that you've done for my boys even though you never met them until last night and I thought about what a wonderful father you'd make to your own children."

Lee breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So, if it turns out to be true, we're gonna' be ok?"

"Yeah, we will," she said with a smile.

Saturday morning, 11:30AM

After finishing breakfast, Amanda was clearing the table taking their dishes into the kitchen. Amanda immediately began to make dishwater and was startled when he grabbed her hips from behind and nuzzled her neck. The movement surprised her causing her to splash soapy water on herself. "Don't sneak up on me like that," she said as she glanced down at the mess on his shirt. "Now, I'm all wet."

"Are you?" Lee said suggestively against her skin as he as he ran his hands up her legs and was shocked to discover that his shirt was all she was wearing. He wrapped his arms around her from behind cupping one breast in his palm as he used the other to skip one finger into her to find she was indeed wet.

"Lee," Amanda gasped as he teased her with his finger and stroked her center with his thumb lowering his mouth the tender pulse point at her neck that he'd already found made her crazy. She bowed into him as he continued to stroke her. She moaned loudly at the pleasure he was giving her. She was beginning to feel like she'd never get enough of him. With the unspoken marriage proposal hanging between them, she knew she could have this all the time if she wanted it, but for the moment, she just wanted to savor the way that he made her feel.

"Come on, Amanda, let go," Lee whispered huskily in her ear as he continued to stroke her inside and out. He wanted to hear her calling out his name again and he was not disappointed.

"Lee!" she cried out as he brought her to yet another powerful climax. She gripped the edge of the sink for support as her whole body was shaking with the intensity of it. Before she had any time to recover, Lee was inside her again bending her over at the waist pinning her against the sink. "Oh, Lee,' she gasped as he drove into her over and over again.

"God, I love hearing you say my name," Lee said as grasped her hips pulling her tightly against him to thrust deeper into her and then once again lowered his mouth to her neck relishing how enthusiastically she responded to him.

Amanda reached one arm behind her and wrapped it around his head playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. They way that they were positioned; it was the only way she could touch him.

Lee responded by sucking harder at her neck not caring that it may leave a mark, almost hoping that it would so the world would know she was his. Hearing the raggedness of her breathing so close to his ear, he knew that she was getting close. He increased the pace until her felt her tightening around him spurring on his own climax. "Oh, Amanda," he exclaimed as he spilled his seed inside her for the fourth time in less than twenty-four hours. He groaned as he leaned against trying to get his bearings again.

Amanda leaned her head back against his shoulder to press a kiss to his lips then turned in his arms to face him. "You're playing with fire, Scarecrow," she said.

"Don't I know it," he said with a smirk as he kissed her firmly.

"You know what I mean. We just talked about this," she said.

"We did and I thought we both decided that it wouldn't be a bad thing and that whatever happened we'd work it out. Besides, I didn't notice you protesting or doing anything to stop it."

"Ok, so we're both playing with fire," she conceded.

"Does that mean you've changed your mind about spending the rest of the weekend with me?"

"No, I still want that. That is, if you still want me here."

"I do, very much," Lee said. "Maybe we should get dressed and remove the temptation," Lee said.

"Easy for you to say," Amanda said. "Your clothes are here. Other than the dress I wore last night, mine are on the other side of the Key Bridge."

"We'll figure something out," Lee said.

"Well, I'm going to finish what I started in here. Why don't you go get dressed while I do that?"

"You know, you don't have to do that. You do enough housework at your own place," Lee said feeling a little guilty that she felt the need to clean up after both of them.

"I know I don't have to, but if I'm going to be comfortable here, the place has to be clean. Besides, this is a part of me you're just going to have to get used to if you ever hope to marry me," she teased.

"Yeah, I know this is part of who you are. You used to straighten up my old place too. That's how I knew things weren't right when Redding hired that crazy Karen Brinkman to duplicate you. I walked into your house and the kitchen was a mess, piles of dirty dishes in the sink, cigarette butts in the ashtray, and half a cocktail on the coffee table. That's why I thought you'd been kidnapped. I knew you'd never leave your house like that unless you were forced to."

"Then you should also know I can't leave yours like that either," she said with a nod indicating the sink. "No, go on, get dressed. It won't take me long to finish this up."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, go on. Scoot," she said with a playful swat to his butt.

"Yeah, ok," He said as he kissed her one more time before leaving the room.

Amanda plunged her hands into the sink and began to work, her thoughts whirling at the conversation they'd had. She paused in her task and placed a hand on her stomach thoughtfully. She couldn't help but wonder what a child of theirs would look like. Would they take after their father like Phillip and Jamie or would they look more like her? Would their child inherit Lee's cute dimples and beautiful eyes? _Stop it, _Amanda scolded herself. _You're getting way ahead of yourself._ She returned to her chore, quickly tidying up the kitchen.

Once completed, Amanda dried her hands on a dishtowel and noticed it was blue like the curtains and the rug. She realized that with all that had happened; she'd forgotten to ask him about it. She smiled and knew she was going to enjoy giving him a hard time about it. She carefully hung up the damp towel to make sure it would have room to properly dry before leaving the room. Her bare feet padded across the dining room and down the hall.

Amanda peered into the bedroom to see that Lee was still only half-dressed. He'd put on jeans and socks, but was still shirtless. His back was to her while he was rooting through the chest of drawers in the corner. She couldn't resist the opportunity to get a little payback. As she tiptoed up behind him, her eyes fell upon the scar on his left shoulder, a souvenir left by Russell Sinclair. _Perfect, _she thought. She slipped her arms around his waist at the same time that she placed a soft kiss to the puckered skin.

Lee jumped in response. "Hey, I'm the one who's supposed to do that," he said.

"How's it feel, Stealth Guy?" she teased. His only response was laughter. Amanda peered into the drawer he'd been in and upon noticing that it was mostly empty, she asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Oh...um...I..."Lee hesitated nervously once again feeling insecure and wondering just how open he should be with her.

"Shouldn't you be dressed by now?"

"I...um...got a little sidetracked."I got to thinking about how to solve your wardrobe problem, not only for this weekend, but also for...future ones?" That last part came out as a question as he wasn't sure that there would be future weekends like this.

"I'm listening," she said her curiosity piqued. "What's your solution?"

"Well, I thought that if you're going to be a regular houseguest, you should have some space here to...maybe...uh...I don't know...keep a few of your things?" Lee cringed a little that he'd been so bold without asking her first. He'd thought it would be a nice surprise for her, but now he wasn't so sure. He turned away from her quickly moving to the closet and yanked a short-sleeved button-down shirt from it shoving his arms into it forcefully.

Amanda smiled deeply moved by the gesture and said, "I think that's a lovely idea. There is just one problem with that," she added as she sat down on the bed fingering her dress that still lay there.

"Problem," Lee questioned nervously as he turned back toward her while he buttoned his shirt.

"It's the same problem I had earlier. I have nothing here," she pointed out.

"I have a solution for that too. I thought we could make a trip to your place long enough to let you pack a bag like you mentioned doing earlier. I need to hit the grocery store anyway."

"I thought you just went grocery shopping," Amanda said.

"I did, but I was thinking that instead of going out tonight, I'd cook for you, like you did for me at your place a couple of weeks ago after that whole mess with Steven Sallee. I thought I'd pick up a couple of steaks, maybe a nice bottle of wine. What do you think?"

Amanda rose from the bed and put her arms around him. "I think that's a great idea." She kissed him softly then scooped up her dress from the bed. "I guess that means I need to put this back on," she said as she stripped out of his shirt.

She was halted by Lee once more grabbing her from behind and whispering huskily in her ear, "Of course I don't know if I like the idea of you having real clothes to put on." He lightly nipped at her earlobe. "I have very much enjoyed this look."

Amanda wriggled out of his grasp and gave him a playful shove. "You just behave yourself..." She pulled her dress over her head then added, "...for now." She then stepped into her panties that had been lying on the bed under her dress, then picked up her shoes that were neatly tucked under the edge of it sitting down on the bed to slip them on while Lee put on his own shoes. "My only worry is that I'm going to be the talk of the neighborhood arriving home like this."

"Do you really care what they think?" When Amanda just looked at him, he picked up the shirt she'd discarded and said, "Here, since you've pretty much adopted this shirt, why don't you put that on over it, then at least your back would be covered.

"No, thanks," Amanda said as she stood. "I think that might just make it look worse. Then they'd know I spent the night with a man. At least like this, I can just say I was at a party late or something."

"How very practical of you," Lee said with a smile. When Amanda stood he said, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's get this over with," she said not at all looking forward to the inquisition she was going to face by her mother when returning to the house.


	10. A New Setting

**A New Setting**

Saturday, 12:30PM

Lee expertly navigated the city streets to make his way back to Amanda's house when he veered off suddenly at spotting a shopping center.

"What are you doing?"Amanda said. "I thought we were going back to my house before shopping."

"Change of plans," Lee said as he pulled the "vette into a parking space.

"Lee, wait, I don't feel entirely comfortable running around the supermarket dressed like this," she said apprehensively.

"You don't have to," he said put the car in park and handed her his car keys. "Here, you take the car, go back to your place and get your packing done while I shop, then you can swing back by here and pick me up."

"Yeah, but it's not going to take you very long to shop for just the two of us. It will probably take me longer to pack than it will for you to shop. You may end up waiting a while."

"I like to take my time when I shop," Lee said.

"Still, maybe it would be better to stick to the original plan," Amanda argued.

"Amanda, will you just for once, not argue with me?" Lee said getting agitated. His whole plan would be destroyed if he couldn't gain her cooperation.

"What are you up to?" she said eying him suspiciously.

"What makes you think I'm up to something," he said evasively.

"I know that look," she said knowingly. "Are you sure this just isn't your way of avoiding facing the music with my mother? While I may be able to pass it off to the neighbors as just a late night out, she's going to know the second I walk in the door that I spent the night with you."

"No, I'm not avoiding anything," Lee said. "I promise you, I will "face the music" with your mother when I bring you home again on Sunday. Who knows? That may even be worse since you'll have spent two nights in a row with me by then." He smiled at her, merriment dancing in his eyes.

"Then what's this all about?"She asked him guardedly unwilling to be charmed by his flashy smile this time.

"Just trust me, huh?"He said flashing his most charming smile that he was sure would melt her resolve. When the determination on her face didn't change, he leaned across the console and kissed her gently at first, and then more demanding once she responded. He pulled back and gazed deeply into her eyes. "Trust me?"

"Ok," she said breathlessly as she took the keys from him.

Lee got out of the car and Amanda climbed across the console into the driver's seat adjusting it for her shorter height. "I'll see you soon," he said as he kissed her softly then added, "I love you," with a warm smile. He closed the door for her with a shake of his head amazed by how easily those three little words slipped from his tongue now. Now that he'd gotten them out for the first time, he wondered why he'd ever struggled with saying them in the first place.

He started to turn toward the shopping center until he was stopped by Amanda's voice saying, "Hey." He turned and saw that she'd rolled the window down. When he was once again facing her, she said, "I love you, too," with an equally warm smile then began to back the car out of its space.

Lee made his way through the parking lot toward the supermarket. When he reached the sidewalk in front of the shopping center, he watched until Amanda had pulled the car back out into traffic. Once he was sure that she was out of sight, he changed directions, making a beeline for the jewelry store two doors down.

Lee walked in a little uncertainly. Now that he was here, he wasn't at all sure that it was a good idea given their conversation about waiting until he'd gotten to know the boys a little better. _But what if it turns out that she is pregnant? _He had joked that she'd have to marry him then, but he wouldn't want her to think that he was only marrying her for that reason. If the day ever came that he did propose to her, he wanted her to know that it was because he loved her and wanted to spend his life with her, not because he'd knocked her up. Looking back on the events of the past day, he couldn't believe that he hadn't even thought of that possibility. He'd never been reckless like this before. In fact, he'd always taken great care to make sure that he would never father a child. He'd always told himself that he never wanted children, but with Amanda, he hadn't given it a second thought. He smiled as he thought of the love and care she showed her boys and realized how much his attitude about it had changed, how much he did want to be a father, but only if she was the mother of his children.

Lee's thoughts were interrupted by the store's sales clerk who'd been eying him distrustfully since he'd entered the building. He didn't like the nervous look of this man, the way he was shifting uncomfortably and he could swear that when he'd walked in that he'd seen a slight bulge in his jacket that could be a gun. Since working here, he'd been trained to spot potential robberies, but this man surely wouldn't attempt something like that in broad daylight in a busy shopping center. "Can I help you find something, Sir?" he said politely trying not to arouse his suspicions, his hand poised over the silent alarm button just in case the shifty-looking man made a move.

_There's no harm in looking, _Lee thought as he tried to calm his jangled nerves. He then reasoned that even if he did buy her a ring, that didn't mean he had to give it to her right away. If it turned out that she _was_ carrying his child, then at least she would know for sure that he'd already been thinking about it. If he already had a ring for her, then she couldn't possibly think that he was just trying to live up to his parental responsibility. He warily approached the agitated-looking clerk and said, "uh...yeah...I...um...I'm looking for something for my girlfriend," he stammered awkwardly, but then smiled at how easily he was able to refer to Amanda as his girlfriend. "I'm thinking of asking her to marry me," Lee said shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket so as not to display how badly they were shaking, his nerves still on edge.

The clerk relaxed a little. If he was about to propose, that would explain his nervousness, but he still watched Lee cautiously. When he'd made the move to put his hands in his pockets, he no longer had any doubt that the man was carrying a gun. "Did you have any particular style in mind?" he said trying to act naturally, as he would with any other customer.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure," Lee said as he peered down through the glass case examining its contents. "I only really started thinking about it today."

"Ok, well, why don't we start with these?" The clerk said as he reached into the case and pulled out a tray of rings with elaborate settings.

Lee immediately shook his head. "No, none of those," he said. He thought of all the normal jewelry that Amanda wore and knew instantly that every one of those rings would be too garish for her tastes. He also knew that she always felt incredibly nervous about wearing some of the more elaborate pieces that she'd had to wear on undercover assignments.

The clerk visibly relaxed. If he wasn't interested in the more expensive rings, clearly robbery was not on his mind. "Well, if it's the price that bothers you, I should advise you that the typical rule of thumb when purchasing an engagement ring is three months' salary," he said haughtily.

Lee found he didn't like this guy's attitude at all. "Listen..." He looked at the guy's nametag and continued, "...Jeff, this isn't about the price. I don't care if it costs a year's salary. I just want something that's her style. She's not someone who wears a lot of flashy jewelry. She has very simple tastes."

"Yes, but an engagement ring is supposed to be a symbol of your love for your intended bride," Jeff said.

Lee was becoming increasingly irritated by this snarky salesman and said, "So, by your theory, I'm supposed to prove my love to her by buying her something that I already know she won't like? Put those away. I'm not interested. I'd like to look at these," Lee said as he pointed to a tray of solitaire diamond rings that were much more Amanda's style.

"Yes, Sir," he said as he obeyed startled by the Lee's ire. "So, since you said that the cost is not a problem for you, may I ask what it is that you do for a living?" He couldn't help but still be curious why this man was carrying a gun if he was just shopping.

"I work-" Lee's answer was interrupted by a shout from the doorway

"Everybody get down!" another man bellowed. He was dressed head to toe in black, face covered by a ski mask, a revolver in hand.

Lee reacted in an instant, drawing his own weapon as the other customers dove to the floor and the clerk, Jeff, who'd been waiting on Lee hit the alarm button before hiding behind the counter. "Don't try it, Pal," Lee said pointing his gun squarely at the robber's head."I'm a federal agent and a damn good shot. I don't want to have to take you down, but I will if you don't drop your weapon." The robber hesitated then hastened out the door. Lee was after him in a second, catching up with him quickly, knocking him to the ground and forcing the gun out of his hand. He grabbed the other man's gun, pocketed it and pinned the felon's arms behind his back.

"Come on, Chump," Lee said urging him up and pushing him against the brick wall. He held him there one-handed as he instinctively reached for his belt, holstered his gun now that he'd captured his prey and realized he was stuck. _Damn, no cuffs, _he thought. He shifted and used both hands to push the guy back into the jewelry store where the nervous patrons were just rising to their feet and the even more nervous Jeff was cautiously peering over the top of the counter. "Hey," Lee said to him. "You got some rope or something to hold this guy with until the cops get here? I'm off-duty, so I don't have any cuffs on me." He was going to have to remember this in the future. As many enemies as he'd made over the years, he never felt comfortable going anywhere unarmed, but he hadn't thought to pack handcuffs since he wasn't expected back at work until Monday.

"Uh...yeah, I think there's some twine in the back that came off the boxes our last shipment came in," Jeff answered nervously still rooted to his spot.

Lee looked at him expectantly and snapped, "Can you get it?" When the clerk still didn't move, he changed his tone. "Look, I've got this guy under control. You're safe."

"Yeah, ok," Jeff said as he hurried to the back room and quickly returned bearing the requested twine.

"Thanks," Lee said and made quick work of securing the would-be robber's hands behind his back then drew his gun again training in on the guy in the event that he tried anything else. It wouldn't be the first time someone with their hands behind their back had tried to tackle him and he wasn't taking any chances with innocent bystanders around. When he noticed a couple of the patrons trying to work their way toward the door, he pulled out his badge showing it to all of them and saying in an authoritative voice, "Nobody leave yet. I know you're all scared and you probably want to get out of here as quickly as you can, but the police will want to take witness statements when they get here. I need you all to stay calm and stay put. You're all safe now." He then turned to glare at the robber and added, "This guy's not going anywhere." He'd just finished his speech when he heard the sirens.

As two metro cops entered the building seeing Lee holding a gun, they trained their weapons on him. "Ok," one of them said. "Let's put the gun down nice and slowly."

Lee held up the ID he still had in his right hand. "I'm a federal agent," he said then nodded toward the robber. "There's your perp," he added as he re-holstered his Beretta.

One of the cops turned toward the attempted-robber while the one who'd spoken to him, took Lee's ID from him and examined it. "Agency, huh?" he said handing his badge back to him. "What the hell are you doing getting involved in a jewelry store heist? That's not exactly your jurisdiction."

"No, it's not. It's actually my day off. I was just shopping for an engagement ring for my girl when this joker made an ass of himself trying to rob the place in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon." He stowed his badge back in his jacket pocket, pulled out the gun he'd stashed there handing it to the cop by the barrel."Here's his piece," Lee said to the cop and then turned his attention to the perp who was now being handcuffed by the other cop. "Not a brilliant move, huh, Chum?" he said.

The cop he'd been talking to couldn't help but laugh. "We've got this," he said. "Go back to your shopping."

"Thanks," Lee said, as he turned back toward the counter with a shake of his head unable to believe that the simple act of shopping for a ring could result in a showdown. _Only my life_, he thought. He went back to perusing the tray of rings still sitting on the counter convinced now more than ever that he needed to make a move now. If something like this could happen so randomly when he wasn't even working, he didn't want to waste anymore time questioning whether it was the right thing to do. He couldn't wait any longer to start living his life with Amanda. He knew he may not ask her right away and that when he did, she may not say yes right away, but they would both at least know that they were in a committed relationship. After a few minutes, he found just what he was looking for. "I want this one," he said to Jeff, but soon realized that he wasn't paying attention, his eyes fixed on the cops who were now manhandling the perp into the squad parked outside in the fire lane. "Hey, Jeff," he said snapping his fingers to get the other man's attention. "This one," he said pointing at the ring that he'd selected.

Jeff the sales clerk shook off his stupor. "An excellent choice," He said shifting back into salesman mode. "Three-carat diamond, eighteen-karat gold-"

"Spare me the sales pitch," Lee said impatiently. "Just wrap it up."

"It's not quite that simple. It will have to be sized. All the rings displayed here are a size seven. I don't suppose you _know_ her ring size," Jeff said highly doubtful that he did. While he was grateful that he'd stopped the robbery-in-progress, the man in front of him didn't seem like the type to know those details. He seemed too sure of himself and guys like that always suffered from too much over-confidence. He would love to see hm knocked down a peg or two.

Lee answered with a smile, "Seven," and was delighted to see the smarmy clerk's sarcastic grin disappear. As many times as he'd put a ring on Amanda's finger for undercover assignments, he'd never forget her ring size. His smile widened as he thought of putting a ring on her finger for keeps. As the salesmen turned away from him to work on Lee's request, he reached for his wallet whipping out his MasterCard.

When Jeff had finished boxing up the ring, turned back toward him and asked, "Will this be cash or charge," Lee couldn't help but chuckle at being a step ahead of him as he held up the card. "Oh," Jeff said a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to get one over on the cocky man in front of him. He rang up Lee's purchase, handing him the box fixed him with his fake salesman smile and said, "Good luck, Sir. I hope she says yes," though in reality he hoped the opposite was true. He'd like nothing more than to be a fly on the wall to watch his girl turn him down cold and knock him off his high horse.

"Thanks," Lee said flashing the irritating clerk a smile as he took the ring box from him, veered around the cops who were now taking down witness statements, his smile never leaving his face as he exited the store.


	11. Change of Wardrobe

**Change of Wardrobe**

Saturday, 12:45PM

Amanda got out of Lee's car and sprinted up the front walk as quickly as she could to avoid being spotted by too many of her neighbors. She let herself into the house and leaned against the front door for a moment to catch her breath before she could be accosted by her mother as she was sure was bound to happen any minute now that she'd probably heard her come in. When she didn't hear anything right away she made a mad dash for the stairs hoping to get to her room before the interrogation could begin.

As Amanda passed by her mother's room, she noticed the door was open and her bed looked like it hadn't been slept in, the bedspread and pillows in the exact same position they'd been in the night before, various outfits strung across the bed. It seemed she'd had trouble deciding what to wear for her date too. S_he didn't come home last night either," _she thought. She shook her head, not wanting to think those thoughts about her mother as she entered her own room to find it exactly as she'd left it, the majority of her evening dresses slung across her bed. She decided to change clothes before cleaning up the mess. She walked around the end of the bed to get to her closet.

Amanda paused to glance at herself in the full-length mirror next to the closet. She almost didn't recognize the woman looking back at her. The "come hither" dress she was wearing, her lips still swollen from the fiery kisses she and Lee had shared, the slight whisker burns on her face and neck from his kisses in the shower this morning before he'd shaved off the five O'clock shadow, the love bite where her neck met her shoulder from their encounter in the kitchen. She looked like exactly what she was; a woman who'd spent a good part of the last twelve hours having unbelievable sex.

Amanda smiled as the memories washed over her, once again placing her hand over her abdomen. She turned sideways looking at herself as she recalled what she'd looked like when she was expecting Phillip and Jamie and couldn't help wondering if she was carrying Lee's child because of their long-overdue, albeit, reckless passion. Her smile faded a little as less pleasant memories struck her. Her sex life with Joe had seriously dwindled when she was pregnant with Jamie, partly she knew, because Joe really didn't want a second child and was shocked when she told him about her pregnancy. He'd blamed it all on her. That had caused a rift between them when she felt the need to remind hm very bluntly that he'd had a hand in it too.

The conversation with Lee today seemed to indicate that if she _were_ pregnant, he'd take full responsibility. She had to wonder though if the other reason her sex life with Joe had changed would be a factor with Lee. While he never came right out and said it, it was obvious to her that Joe hadn't found her as attractive once her pregnancy had become evident. Lee's desire for her had been quite apparent since last night and she hoped it stayed that way even if they had conceived a child. She shuddered a little at the idea that Lee might not find her desirable any longer at seeing her body swollen with his child. She hoped that wouldn't be true. It hadn't been true of Joe when she'd been carrying Phillip, but they were newly married at that time, just as she and Lee were in a brand-new relationship and were still in honeymoon phase of it.

Her thoughts of Lee snapped her out of her reverie as she remembered that he was waiting for her. She made her way to her closet pulling out a blouse with a high enough collar to hide the evidence of their reckless abandon, then pulled her favorite jeans from the shelf and that's when she noticed the purple box up there that had long ago been neglected. She pulled it from the shelf as well and dropped it to the bed. She stared at it for a moment, the fancy script on its cover advertising Rebecca's Fantasies. She lifted the lid from it admiring the satin and lace concoction within. It was a gift from her mother, who'd bought on a whim when Dean had told her that he intended to propose and it had sat on that closet shelf ever since.

She chuckled to herself as she thought about how hard her mother had pushed her to marry Dean the same way she'd been pushing her last night to give in and sleep with Lee. She thought about how different those two pieces of advice from her mother were and couldn't figure out which she was more grateful for, that she'd ignored the former or followed the latter. She supposed it didn't matter. Both had led her where she is now with Lee. She walked to her dresser and pulled out clean panties and a bra, changed clothes swiftly before returning to the closet to grab her overnight bag to pack it for her return to Lee as quickly as possible. When she'd finished packing the clothes she thought she'd need, she walked past the bed into her bathroom to pack a few toiletries as well. She'd needed the shower this morning, but while Lee's masculine shampoo and soap smelled great on him, they did nothing for her.

When she re-entered the bedroom to add her toiletries to her bag, she paused once again to examine the opened lingerie box on the bed, carefully considering it. She turned away from it, packed the items she was holding, but then she spied it out of the corner of her eye again. She couldn't help but wonder if it was too soon in their relationship for something like that. She shook her head, put the lid back on the box, zipped up the tote bag, dropped it back to the bed and began to clean up the mess she'd made with her dresses the night before, hanging them neatly in her closet, one by one. Each time she went back to the bed for another one, the bright purple box taunted her. She tried to ignore it, but with each evening gown she put away, there it was again. She finally snatched it from the bed and shoved back on the shelf to resist the temptation as she tried to finish her task.

When the only dress left was the one she'd worn last night and she reached for a hanger, she paused again peering at the nearly backless confection and thought, _What the hell? What's the worst that could happen? _He'd already seen her in the most revealing dress she owned. _And he's seen you naked, _she reminded herself. She unzipped her bag, turned to hang the red dress up, reached for the box and shoved it quickly into the open bag before she could change her mind again. She might not even take it out of the bag tonight, but she'd rather have it with her in case she decided she should wear it than to decide she should wear it and not have it with her.

Amanda slung her bag over her shoulder grabbed her purse and Lee's car keys and was trotting back down the stairs, thinking how grateful she was that she hadn't run into her mother when she heard the back door open just as she reached the landing. She tried to continue on her way when she hear her mother's voice behind her saying, "Hold it right there Missy!"

_Damn, busted, _Amanda thought as she turned around stepping across the landing and into the kitchen. She glanced at the disheveled appearance of her mother and chuckled a little. "So, is this your walk of shame," Amanda teased.

"Very funny, Amanda," Dotty said. "It's not like you have any room to talk."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Amanda said evasively glad that she'd had time to change clothes before her mother had arrived.

"Oh, you don't, huh?" Dotty said eyeballing her daughter suspiciously. "Well, you should know that I couldn't get into the house without Buck stopping me to tell all the details of your own walk of shame about half an hour ago."

"What walk of shame? There was no walk of shame," Amanda said resolutely.

"There wasn't?" Dotty said disbelievingly. "So, you didn't come home just now wearing the same dress you left in last night."

"I did," Amanda confirmed. "I'm not denying that, but there was no walk of shame involved. That would mean that I have something to be ashamed of and I don't feel that I do."

"Ohhhh," Dotty said with a knowing grin. "You know, I think that's a very healthy attitude. You and Lee are both adults after all and it was very clear to me last night that the man is completely crazy about you." Dotty looked at her daughter taking in the evidence of her activities of the previous evening.

Amanda smiled and blushed slightly under her mother's intense scrutiny. "Well, I think you already figured out that I'm pretty crazy about him too."

"Good, that's good. I've suspected as much for a long time, the way you've always talked about him. It's nice to hear you finally admit it," Dotty said relieved that her daughter was finally living her life again after devoting so many years solely to her children.

"I guess there's not really any point in denying it. You'd just see right through me anyway, "Amanda joked.

"So, where is Lee anyway? I saw his car outside."

"He's at the supermarket," Amanda answered. "He wants to cook me dinner tonight at his place. I should actually get going soon to go pick him up so we can get back there."

"Ooh, dinner at his place, huh," Dotty purred suggestively. "Cute and he cooks? I'd say he's definitely a keeper."

Amanda laughed and said, "Yeah, Mother, I think so too."

"So, this thing between you, it's serious?"Dotty asked as she nodded toward the bag on Amanda's shoulder. "You've got another date tonight already."

"Yeah, pretty serious, and I wouldn't call it _another_ date. Last night's date hasn't really ended yet. It's just on a brief hiatus so that I could grab some clean clothes and he could do the shopping. Enough about my date, I want to hear all about yours. I'm guessing it went well too since you're just now getting home."

"It was wonderful," Dotty said. "But I will tell you all about it when you get home tomorrow; at least I assume it will be tomorrow before I see you again." Dotty glanced again at the bag on Amanda's shoulder and couldn't help noticing the purple box within, as Amanda hadn't zipped the bag back up after adding that particular item to it. "You're taking this with you?' Dotty inquired with an arched eyebrow as she reached for the box.

"Yeah," Amanda confirmed with a nod.

"Is this a little something new that you bought for the occasion?"Dotty teased as she attempted to open the box but Amanda grabbed it from her first.

"No, actually, it's the same little something you bought me for the honeymoon with Dean that you thought for sure was going to happen," Amanda answered and she shoved the box back into the bag and zipped it closed.

"Isn't that a little weird for you since it was purchased for Dean?"

"No," Amanda replied. "I've never worn it. Dean never even knew that it existed."

"Oh, I see, "Dotty mused.

"What, mother?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about what you said last night about there being no sizzle with Dean. Maybe that little item would have helped to change that," her mother pointed out.

"I don't think so, Mother. If the spark's not there, it's just not there," Amanda explained. "Besides, I could never bring myself to wear sexy lingerie for a man who thought bookends were a romantic gift.

Dotty laughed heartily and said, "You make a good point. Well, at least someone will get some use out of it; although I get the idea that a man like Lee won't let you wear it for very long."

"That's kind of the whole point of wearing sexy lingerie in the first place, isn't it?" Amanda fired back her face flushing

"Well, you must have enjoyed yourself if you're going back for more already and with that," Dotty teased with a lurid smile thoroughly enjoying seeing the crimson shade her daughter's face turned at that statement, "That good, huh?"

"There aren't enough words to describe _how_ good," Amanda said suggestively.

"Glad to hear it. You can tell me all about it another time. You don't want to keep that gorgeous hunk of a man waiting too long. I am so happy for you, Darling." She hugged her daughter with an elation she hadn't felt in a long time glad to see that Amanda was no longer hiding her feelings and instead was embracing them.

"Thank you, Mother," Amanda said as she hugged her mother back.

"Now, I need to take a long, hot bath and get a nap. Hunter's picking me up at seven."

"Oh, so you've got another date too. Must be serious," Amanda teased.

"Not as serious as yours, but we are definitely enjoying ourselves, that's for sure." Dotty began to ascend the stairs then trotted back down them again. "You know, you should invite Lee to have dinner with the family tomorrow night. If this relationship really is serious, he should get to know the boys."

"Mother, I don't know if he's quite ready for that," Amanda said hesitantly although she had said that she wanted him to get to know them before they started seriously considering marriage and he had said that he understood that she came as a package deal. In addition, it had been his idea to come to the house and meet them last night.

"Well, I won't take no for an answer. If the man is worth your time, he needs to get to know your family..." Dotty paused for a moment while her daughter was silent then added, "...especially if he may someday want to become a part of it."

"Mother," Amanda groaned in exasperation. "Don't tell me you're going to try to marry me off again."

"Amanda, Darling, I'm just thinking about your future and it's very obvious that the two of you are in love. Besides, I know you, Amanda. You would never sleep with a man with whom you couldn't at least potentially see having a future. You've never been the type for casual affairs."

"Oh, that's all true, but Lee is a bachelor and hasn't really spent a lot of time around kids so I don't know that throwing him into the lion's den right now is a good idea."

"Let me ask you a question, then," Dotty said. "You told me last night that you'd been on several dates with this man, yet last night was the first time he ever came to the house to pick you up. Whose idea was that, yours or his?"

"His," Amanda replied getting her mother's point. "Ok, I'll ask him," Amanda conceded. She nodded determinedly. Lee had said that he wanted to marry her after all and when she'd thrown the idea of instant fatherhood at him, he hadn't hesitated for a minute. In fact, he'd seemed more worried that she thought he couldn't handle rather than him being afraid for himself that he couldn't. Maybe it would all work out ok.

"Great," Dotty chirped with a smile. "I will see you _both_ tomorrow then."

"Yeah, tomorrow," Amanda answered with a smile. She kissed her mother and made her way back across the landing and out the front door to go meet her man.

Dotty stood for a moment in the kitchen reflecting on the conversation she and Amanda had just had and couldn't help but think that this man, Lee, just might be the one to get her daughter to settle down again.


	12. The Reviews Are In

**The Reviews Are In**

Saturday afternoon, 1:30PM

Lee had been wandering the aisles of the grocery store since leaving the showdown at the jewelry store, shopping cart in front of him. He turned down the liquor aisle for the final item on his mental list and began surveying the shelves carefully. He knew that the supermarket wouldn't have the selection of wines that an actual liquor store would, but he was sure he'd be able to find something suitable for his dinner with his girlfriend. G_irlfriend, _he thought with a smile. He hand unconsciously drifted to the jacket pocket containing the ring he'd purchased patting it slightly. He longed for the day when he could exchange the title _girlfriend_ for _fiancée _and eventually, _wife_. Amanda had tried to throw him by tossing that out at him earlier and he had to admit, that for a moment, she had, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how much he wanted it. He perused the shelf in front of him again, found a bottle he thought would be appropriate for their upcoming dinner, and reached for it.

"Hot date?" A questioning voice said behind him just as he was adding the bottle to the cart. He turned to find Francine staring at him a shopping basket hung over one arm. "I mean it must be. That's a rather pricey bottle of wine," she quipped.

Francine's crack got him thinking about the events since last night. He just smiled and replied, "The hottest. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Um, shopping," she said caustically indicating the basket she was carrying as if it should be obvious.

"Yeah, I get that, but why here? You don't live anywhere near here," He pointed out.

"No, but it's on the way home from the office. What are you doing here? You weren't at the office today and you don't live anywhere near here either."

"Actually, I do. I live about six blocks from here now."

"Oh? When did that happen?"

"A couple of weeks ago," Lee said. "I even changed my number, remember? I gave you the new one two weeks ago."

"Oh, I just thought that was because you were trying to dodge some girl that you jilted. It wouldn't be the first time you've changed your phone number to get girls off your back," Francine quipped.

Lee sighed as he thought about the fact that what Francine said was partially true. He could have just transferred his old number to the new place, but part of the reason he had changed his phone number was to keep any of his previous dates from calling him. What he'd told Amanda was true. He had wanted a completely fresh start in the hopes of beginning to build a real life with the woman he loved more than anything or anyone else in his life. He wasn't about to get that in depth with Francine though. It wouldn't do any god to tell her the whole truth. She'd never believe him anyway.

"No, no jilted girls, Francine. In fact, there's only _woman_ I've been seeing for several months now," Lee corrected. Amanda was most definitely not a girl, she was a full-grown mature woman and that was exactly how he liked her.

"How many is several," Francine asked her curiosity piqued. She clearly remembered walking in on him and Amanda in the office just a little over a week ago looking like they were on the verge of starting something. Could it be possible that something had already started and she'd just missed it? Surely not, she was usually more observant than that. Although, she had to admit that she hadn't seen Lee out with anyone else recently.

"Eight," Lee answered. "Eight months since I've seen anyone else."

"Well, it looks like you're pulling out all the stops on this one," She glanced into his shopping cart. "Expensive wine, steaks, salad fixings..." She looked up at him with a knowing grin.

"And it looks like you're only shopping for one," Lee said indicating the frozen dinner in her basket. "So, I'm guessing you _don't _have a date tonight. Maybe you should go back to taking cooking lessons, keep a guy around a little longer. They must bolt when they find out you have absolutely no domestic skills," he joked.

"I have plenty of _other_ skills. Skills that you've gotten some enjoyment out of yourself," Francine reminded him.

"I remember, but that is ancient history and it takes more than that to hold my interest these days," Lee said.

"Domestic skills, huh," Francine said thinking again of the scene she'd walked in on between him and Amanda. She couldn't help but think that no one had more domestic skills than Amanda did, but she'd never imagined that would be something that would appeal to Lee Stetson. _What exactly is Amanda King doing to him, _she thought. "Hmm, this hot date tonight wouldn't happen to be with a certain slender brunette that you picked up in the train station three years ago, would it?"

"What makes you say that?" Lee said evasively not entirely sure that he was ready for Francine to know about them yet with the way that she'd always looked down on Amanda.

"Come on, Lee," Francine said with a knowing look. "The little bit of 'rehearsing' I walked in on the other day made it clear that you two have become a little more than friends, not to mention that you locked yourselves in your office yesterday when you heard me and Billy coming down the hall." She looked down into his shopping cart surveying the items in it again. "So, is that what all this is? Setting the stage for opening night?" she teased.

"No, Francine," Lee said huffily. "I'm just cooking dinner for my girlfriend, not setting the stage for anything." His scowl soon changed to a smile as he watched Amanda enter the store behind Francine. He nodded slightly and smiled at her to get her attention.

Francine hadn't noticed the change in his demeanor still too busy inspecting the items in his shopping cart. "No?" she questioned as she plucked a box of condoms out of his cart.

"Gimme' that," Lee said snatching it from her hand his face turning red.

Francine chuckled and said, "Ooh, I think someone's blushing. I never thought that would ever be possible out of you." When Lee just glared at her, she couldn't resist teasing him a little more. "Well, a word of advice, Lee, even if she's the one you were talking about that you've been seeing for eight months, Amanda's not like all the other dates you've had. Other woman might appreciate that you can cook and fall all over you when they see you've got some domestic skills, but Amanda is a housewife with her own domestic skills. Unlike me, and most of your other girlfriends in the past, she's a woman who can cook for herself which makes it highly unlikely that she'll be swept off her feet just because you cook a meal for her. You might have to do a little more than all this to impress her if you want your _opening night_ with her."

"That's not really necessary, Francine," Amanda said from behind her as she walked to Lee's side, sliding one arm around his waist. She greeted him with a kiss, and then turned back to Francine. "Not when opening night's already happened," she added enjoying the stunned look on the blonde's face. "Besides, the fact that I _do_ cook on a regular basis makes this a really nice gesture. It's one night that I don't _have _to cook."

"Amanda!" Lee said surprised by her boldness in front of Francine in admitting that they'd spent the night together.

"What? It's not as if she wouldn't figure it out eventually anyway. I mean, she did walk in on us in the office the other day," she pointed out. She then reached for box he still held in his hand. "What's this? Somebody thinking he's going to get an encore tonight?" she teased.

Lee relaxed a little shaking his head. He was amazed that no matter how well he thought he was getting to know her, she never stopped surprising him. He couldn't help laughing. "Well, since the reviews for opening night were so good, I thought there might be a chance for a repeat performance," he fired back taking the box from her and dropping it back into the cart as he slipped one arm around her.

"Amanda, Dear, I hope your _reviews_ aren't adding to Lee's already overinflated ego," Francine said sarcastically. "Lord knows there have been enough women in his life that have done that. Isn't that right, Lee?"

Lee just frowned at her while Amanda just smiled serenely at Francine's obvious attempt to belittle her relationship with Lee and treat it like just another meaningless encounter. "Who said anything about _my_ reviews of him," Amanda said amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Don't tell me he gave you a good review of _your_ performance," Francine scoffed with a roll of her eyes. While Amanda may be a whiz at telling you how to remove an ink stain using peanut butter or something, she highly doubted that she had the experience or talent to keep a man with Lee's appetite for debauchery satisfied.

"As a matter of fact, he did. A rave, actually," Amanda said before turning to Lee and saying, "What was it you said? I believe I heard the word "amazing" come out of your mouth this morning."

"Amazing?"Francine said skeptically "Amanda?"

"Amazing pretty well covers it, Francine," Lee concurred. "Generosity and stamina, remember?" he added with a wink.

"Generosity and stamina," Amanda questioned looking up at him with a quizzical expression.

"I'll explain later," Lee said.

"Well, _my_ review says that this show will have a very short run," Francine said contemptuously.

"Oh, I don't know, Francine. I foresee this show running longer than _Cats_," Lee said with a smile at Amanda as he once again brushed his hand against the pocket containing the ring. "Especially with the rave reviews that are already in."

"Besides," Amanda added. "There's only _one_ critic's review that I'm really interested in." She smiled at Lee and glanced into the shopping cart. "Did you get everything you needed for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, I think so, unless you want something for _dessert_," he said his eyes dancing in merriment.

Amanda smiled suggestively at Lee's innuendo and fired back, "The only dessert I'm interested in is Pilgrim's Peach Puff."

"I think that can definitely be arranged," Lee said.

"Pilgrim's Peach Puff," Francine inquired

"Think back to your cooking lessons, Francine," Lee answered with a grin before turning back to Amanda. "So, you like that dessert, huh?"

"I think it's become my new favorite dessert," She said. "Definitely gets a five-star review."

"Good," Lee said with a smile. Francine just looked at the two of them and their playful banter and knew they weren't talking about food. "So, if we're done shopping, we should go check out and get back to my place. Seeya later, Francine," he said as he and Amanda walked toward the checkout holding hands.

"Speaking of reviews, my mother really enjoyed finally meeting you last night when you picked me up, so much so that she's insisting you come to dinner tomorrow night," Amanda said. "What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea," Lee said instantly. His smile increased as he thought about having an opportunity to spend time with the family. Maybe if things went well, he'd be able to give her the ring sooner that he'd anticipated. 'So, she liked me, huh?"

"Yeah, a lot," Amanda answered. "In fact, I think if she were twenty years younger, she might try to give me a run for my money."

"I have no doubt," he said with a chuckle he said as they reached the checkout and he began unloading the cart. "So, did she give you the third degree when you got there about why you didn't come home last night?"

"No, surprisingly," Amanda answered. "She didn't come home herself last night. She was just getting in right when I was getting ready to leave."

"Ohhhh," Lee said knowingly. "You two must be scandalizing the neighborhood, he teased.

"Oh, shut up," she said but couldn't help laughing. "Now that I think about it though, you and I are probably scandalizing your neighbors too."

Lee paid for their purchases, grabbed the shopping bag and said, "Well, now that this is done, what do you say we get back there so we can continue scandalizing them?" He reached for her hand with a smile.

"Good plan," She said as she took his outstretched hand and they left the store both smiling in anticipation of being alone together again.


	13. Setting the Stage

Author's Note: Sorry for delay in updates. My work schedule, including days off changed. Just got done working seven-day stretch, five 8-hour days & 2 10-hour days as my schedule is now four 10 hour days. On the plus side, I now have three days off a week in which I can devote more time to writing.

**Setting the Stage**

Saturday afternoon, 2:30PM

Lee and Amanda entered his apartment, him carrying the grocery bags and her carrying her overnight bag. Now that they were back at his place, the tension once again began to fill the room as neither was sure where to go from here. Lee reached into his jacket pocket lightly fingering the ring box within. He felt like it had been burning a hole in his pocket since the moment he'd put it there. _Not yet_, he thought pulling his hand from his pocket. _The timing has to be just perfect and this isn't the right time. _He looked over at Amanda and tried to imagine just when and how he would ask her to be his wife for real. He'd done it so many times for cover, but this was different. This was real life; this was his life. _Our life,_ he corrected himself with a shake of his head his smile brightening at how good that sounded.

"What?" Amanda said noticing the wistful smile on his face.

"Nothing, I was just thinking," He covered quickly.

"You care to share what you were thinking about," Amanda prodded burning with curiosity. _Uh-oh, _she thought. She shifted the bag on her shoulder uncomfortable hoping that he hadn't noticed the slight bulge in it. She wondered if that was what why he was smiling. She glanced down at it for a moment and didn't see any obvious evidence of the small, flat box hidden inside and relaxed a little looking back at him again.

"Not just yet," Lee answered with a loving smile. "But I promise I will when the time is right. I'm going to put this stuff away. Why don't you go unpack and make yourself comfortable? The whole top drawer of the dresser is yours and I made some space for you on the right side of the closet if you need it."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Amanda said warmly. "I don't think I'll need that much space though. I only brought enough stuff to finish out the weekend. I do have to be back home tomorrow afternoon before Joe brings the boys back."

Lee couldn't hide the look of dismay that crossed his face at the mention of her ex-husband. 'He's not going to be there tomorrow night at dinner, is he?" He asked worriedly.

"No," Amanda replied. "He'll be at the house just long enough to drop the boys off."

"Good," Lee said relaxing somewhat as he made his way to the kitchen. He could deal with her mother and the endless questions he knew that she'd ask and he was even pretty sure he could handle the kids, but the awkwardness of being around her ex when he was trying to get to know her family would be just too much to bear. How was he supposed to get to know the kids if their father was there? Although, Amanda said that he didn't really know his own kids himself.

He shook his head as he began unpacking the grocery bag, convinced now more than ever that Joe King was an idiot for letting a woman like Amanda walk out of his life and for neglecting his responsibility to his children. Amanda had told him once that he regularly paid child support, but in Lee's book that wasn't enough to make a man a father. He knew from first-hand experience having been raised by a bachelor uncle that a child needed a parent who cared. The Colonel had tried, but he didn't have one damn clue how to be a father. To be fair to him, it wasn't really his fault. He'd had fatherhood thrust on him when there was no one else to take in the lost, grieving little boy that he'd been. It had taken two years for him to be able to take him in with the Air Force bouncing hm around all over the place. Lee had vague memories of being shuffled around between foster homes from the ages of five to seven until that had happened. Once it had, while he may have had a steady guardian, he never did have a stable home life.

Lee was determined that he wasn't going to make that mistake. While he was nervous about the upcoming family dinner, he was going to make damn sure that Amanda's boys knew that he cared about them as well as about their mother. He smiled as it struck him in that moment that he really did care about her children as much as he did her. He found it strange but oddly comforting. He may have just officially met them last night but he'd been around them so much and had done so much for them that they weren't even aware he'd done. He'd told himself that it was because he cared for Amanda and wouldn't want to see them hurt for her sake, but he now realized that he actually cared for them too.

Thinking about the kids diverted Lee's thoughts to the idea that Amanda may be carrying his child. As much as the thought of it terrified him, it also excited him. He hadn't even thought about being a family man until he'd met Amanda, now he found that he couldn't wait to be a father. No matter what happened, Lee decided, he was going to be the best damn father he could be. No child of his would ever have any doubt that he or she had a father who cared. He smiled as he wondered what Amanda would look like with her slender figure expanding to accommodate his growing child. He found the idea more appealing that he'd ever imagined he would.

He finished unpacking the groceries, neatly folded the paper bag and put it away. That left just one other thing to deal with, though he didn't know just how he was going to hide it with her in his home. He quickly peered through the doorway and when he didn't see her anywhere, he pulled the ring box out of his pocket and tried to think of a place to stash it temporarily. While he was thinking, he opened the box and stared at the sparking diamond within its velvet housing. He couldn't help wondering what it would look like on Amanda's finger. The more he gazed at it, the more anxious he became to give it to her. He didn't know how long he'd be able to hide it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Amanda opened the dresser drawer and saw that he had indeed emptied it of all of his belongings. She smiled at this turn of events. She'd never imagined that Lee would be considerate enough to make space for her in his home. She walked over to the bed where she'd dropped her bag and opened it, the Rebecca's Fantasies box lying right on top where she'd left it.

She walked to the bedroom door and closed it firmly, not wanting to give him a chance to sneak up on her again. She then removed the purple box from her bag, lifted the lid and once again examined its contents. For the first time ever, she removed the lacy negligee from the box, walked into the bathroom with it, held it up, and examined herself in the mirror. She was thinking that she just might reward him for his consideration by wearing it for him later. She wondered what he would think of her wearing it. She had a feeling that with the comments he'd made earlier about not wanting her to get dressed that she wouldn't be wearing it for very long. She hoped that he wouldn't think she was being too forward by wearing it. _That's just silly, _Amanda chided herself. _That man has already been inside you four times. What would make you think he wouldn't approve of a little naughty lingerie?_

She walked back into the bedroom and put the lingerie back in its box with its matching robe and quickly stowed it in the drawer She unpacked the rest of her overnight back and used her other clothing to hide the vibrant purple box underneath them. She didn't want Lee to find it before she was ready for him to see it. He'd told her this drawer was hers so she didn't believe that he would invade her privacy, but it was still his home and she didn't want to take the chance that the surprise would be ruined. She wanted to see the look on his face when she appeared wearing it. She imagined it would be similar to the smoldering look he'd given her when she'd descended the stairs last night in her evening gown. She loved that look, that look of unrestrained desire on his face.

She closed the drawer, still feeling immensely pleased that he'd been thoughtful enough to do that for her. That thought made her wonder what it would be like for them to truly have a home together, and that led to thinking about his pseudo-marriage proposal. He hadn't actually asked yet, but told her that he would if he thought she'd say yes. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to say yes. Maybe she could say yes and they could just have a nice long engagement to give the boys time to get to know him better, so that the idea of having a new stepfather wouldn't be such a shock to them. They had adapted to Dean being around fairly quickly, so maybe it wouldn't be that long.

He still had to actually ask the question, though. She wasn't going to let him off the hook on that one. If she was going to say yes, she wanted a proper proposal. She wasn't actually expecting him to get down on his knees as he'd suggested, she just wanted to hear the words. She unpacked her toiletries taking them to the bathroom as she thought about marriage to Lee. She liked the idea of a long engagement for the sake of her children, but she realized that wouldn't work if it turned out she were carrying his child. They'd have to get married quickly. Either way, she liked the idea of letting all the hussies who hit on him know that he was taken.

Thinking of that brought her mind back to their encounter with Francine at the supermarket. Her blood boiled when she thought of it and how Francine had been so sure that their relationship wouldn't last, how certain she'd been that she was just going to become another notch on Lee's bedpost. She wondered what the blond would think if she knew that she and Lee were already seriously discussing marriage. She smiled a little at that thought. She tried to be kind to everyone, but she couldn't help getting enjoyment out of one-upping Francine and seeing the smug look on her face disappear.

Done with her unpacking, Amanda sat for a moment on the edge of the bed, removed her shoes and just relaxed for a minute. She glanced at the neatly made bed and reflected back on how they'd made love in it just a few hours ago. She found herself with a giddy smile on her face at the idea of sharing this bed with him for another night. She suddenly realized how tired she was and lay down on the bed. She figured she'd just close her eyes and rest for a minute. While she'd very much enjoyed their activities, they had worn her out. Before she knew what was happening, she was drifting off into a deep sleep, dreaming of holding Lee again.

Lee stepped into his bedroom after he finished putting away the groceries and felt his heart leap at seeing Amanda sleeping soundly. He couldn't believe how much he loved the idea of her sleeping in his bed. While he'd many women in his bed over the years, even if it wasn't this particular bed, she was the first that he ever wanted to stay there. He was dreading the time that she would have to go home tomorrow and he would once again wake up alone. He had to do something about that soon.

He reached for the ring box in his pants pocket, opened his nightstand drawer as quietly as he could set it gently inside and dropped the box of condoms he'd brought in with him there too. He closed the drawer as quietly as he had opened it, and then walked around to the other side of the bed, toed off his shoes and slipped into bed beside her. He scooted close to her as gently as he could, not wanting to disturb her peaceful nap, he snaked one arm around her waist savoring the feel of her closeness. He found himself intoxicated by the scent of his shampoo in her hair as he brushed a light kiss to her head and soon drifted off to sleep next to her, comforted that at least for now, he still had her in his bed and longing for the day that they would make it permanent.


	14. No More Stage Fright

**No More Stage Fright**

Saturday afternoon/evening 5:30PM

Amanda was the first to awaken from their impromptu nap. She stretched her long legs and smiled as she realized that Lee had spooned up behind her, his body wrapped around hers, his arm around her waist, one leg draped over her own. She tried to extract herself from his grasp, but found that only made him hold her tighter.

"Mmm," he sighed sleepily as he nuzzled her neck. "Stay here. Just let me hold you a little while longer."

"I'm sorry," she said as she caressed the arm wrapped around her. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"S'ok," Lee murmured hazily. When Amanda turned in his arms, he opened his eyes to look into hers. "I like waking up with you next to me," he said more clearly the sleep-induced fog lifting from his brain.

"I'm getting to like it too," she said with an affectionate smile kissing him lightly as she stroked his face.

"Then stay," Lee said as he firmly held her against him.

"I'm right here," she said. "I'm staying tonight. That was the whole reason I went home to pack a bag, remember?"

"Stay longer," he said brushing his lips against hers. "Stay forever."

"I would love to, Lee, but you know I can't. I have children to go home to," she reminded him.

"You may have a child right here too," he said with a smile as he lightly stroked her stomach.

"You're really not bothered at all by that idea, are you?"

"No," Lee replied. "I meant what I said Amanda. I can't think of a better mother for my children and there's no other woman that I would ever want to be with. I want you and only you."

"I only want you too," she answered back kissing him again.

Lee's heart soared at hearing those words from her. He deepened their kiss and turned to roll her beneath him as his tongue danced with hers. He felt like his heart would burst with love for her as they held onto each other. He pulled back from her and at seeing the same love shining back at him from her eyes, he knew he couldn't wait any longer. "Marry me, Amanda."

"What," she said startled by his sudden outburst. "Is this another joke?"

Lee sat up and looked away from her, disappointed by her reaction, but what else had he really expected? They'd been joking about it for two days.

Amanda sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed and lightly touched his shoulder. "Lee, talk to me. Don't shut me out."

Lee stood, reached into the nightstand drawer, pulling out the ring box he stashed there only a couple of hours ago and knelt in front of her with it. "No, not this time," he said echoing the words that had started this whole thing. "This is no damn joke." He opened the ring box, took the ring from it, tossed the box aside and reached for her left hand. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Amanda was stunned into silence her eyes transfixed on the sparkling diamond. _This is for real, _she thought. _Yes_, her heart screamed, but she found she couldn't spit out the word.

"Amanda, will you marry me, please?" he said his voice a soft pleading whisper.

Happy tears formed in her eyes as she finally recovered from the shock and gasped out, "Yes."

Lee let out the breath he'd been holding. He'd never realized how much that one simple word "yes" could mean. He slid the ring onto her finger with a huge smile and pulled her to him to seal the deal with a soft kiss. "I love you," he said again still holding her left hand. He reached for her right as well linking his fingers with hers as he gazed into her eyes.

"I love you too," she said the tears falling silently as she looked back into his eyes, her heart swelling with love for him. She kissed him and tugged on his hands to urge hm back into bed with her.

Lee followed her lead, easing himself back into bed beside her as they shared soft kisses. He pulled back for a moment, softly caressed her face, brushing her hair away from it and said, "You've made me so happy."

"You made me pretty happy too," she said with a smile as she kissed him again, their kisses soon changing from celebratory, romantic kisses to fiery, passionate ones. "Lee, make love to me," she whispered breathlessly.

Lee once again rolled her beneath him kissing her feverishly as his fingers worked on loosening the buttons on her blouse while she tugged his shirt out of the waistband of his jeans and began to undo his buttons as well. She lifted her just enough to slide her blouse off her arms and unhook her bra, dropping them both to the floor. He kissed the spot on her neck where he'd left his mark earlier as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders grasping his bare back while he suckled the tender pulse point making Amanda sigh in contentment. He slipped one hand between them to unfasten her jeans just enough to reach inside and touch her center.

"Oh, Lee," she cried out at the contact. She arched against him as he stroked her.

Hearing her crying out his name urged Lee on. He dipped a finger inside her and was delighted to find her already wet for him just as she had been in the kitchen earlier. He pulled away from her long enough to pull her jeans down her long legs and toss them aside, her panties soon following.

Amanda whimpered at the loss of the contact. She sat up enough to reach for the button on his jeans, making quick work of it and the zipper. She pushed his jeans and boxers down his hips wrapping her long fingers around him, relishing the feel of his hardness.

"Oh, Amanda," Lee growled at the way she was touching him elated by the fact that he now knew he could have this with her for the rest of his life. His jeans and underwear joined the rest of their clothing on the floor as he returned to her arms startled when she pushed him onto his back forcefully and straddled him. He made a move to reverse their positions, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"No," Amanda said as she kissed him, pressing the length of her body against his. She trailed kisses down his jaw, his neck, his chest as she began to stroke him again, delighted in feeling him buck against her.

Lee groaned at the feeling of her lips on his skin, her hand deftly stroking his manhood. Why had he waited so long for this? He grasped her hips firmly and flipped her beneath him, not giving her a chance to stop him this time. He crushed his lip to hers as he pinned her to the mattress and ground against her, wanting her to feel what she was doing to him.

"Lee," she cried out. "I want you inside me."

"Is that what you want," he teased in a gravelly voice.

"Yes," she gasped. "Now." Lee made a move to reach into the still open drawer beside him for the condoms, but Amanda's hand on his arm stopped him. She knew what he was reaching for as she'd caught sight of the box when he'd opened the drawer to get the ring box. "No, just you. I don't want any barriers between us."

"We'd be taking a chance," he said in a warning tone.

"We already have, four times now," Amanda reminded him. "What's one more? If it happens, it happens."

"Are you sure," he asked hesitantly.

"I'm sure," she said. "Besides, we're getting married anyway, right?"

"Yeah, we are," Lee said with a smile overjoyed that not only had she said yes to his proposal, but also that she was willing to have his baby. He kissed her firmly trying to convey everything her felt for her in that one kiss as he slowly pushed his way inside her delighted in feeling her closing around him. He couldn't get over how perfectly they fit together. He pulled back from their kiss, linked his hands with hers, gazing deeply into her eyes. He felt her locking her legs around him and began to withdraw from her only to push back in again. He never took his eyes off hers as they moved together, advancing and retreating repeatedly, her hips moving with his in perfect rhythm, meeting him again and again until they tumbled over the edge together and he once again felt himself erupting inside her as they cried out each other's names.

They lay locked together like that sharing soft touches and kisses until their heartbeats slowed again. "I love you," Amanda whispered as she stroked his face lovingly.

"I love you," He said as he rolled onto his back with her still in his arms so as not to crush her with his weight.

Amanda lazily ran her fingers across his chest, the diamond catching her eye again. She held her hand up and gazed at it. "So, is this why you wanted us to split up today?"

"You caught me," Lee said with a chuckle. "I knew there was a jewelry store in that shopping center. That's why I wanted to go there. This isn't how I planned on giving it to you, though."

"Oh, you had a plan, did you," she teased.

"Yeah, damn romantic one, too. I thought we'd have our dinner, then maybe put o some music and dance a little since we never went dancing last night."

"Oh, no, we did a lot of dancing," she said a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"You know what I mean," he said with a chuckle.

"We still could do all that, you know. I could just give this back to you for a while and you could put your plan in motion and give it to me all over again," she teased.

"No, you are not taking that ring off your finger ever," Lee said firmly as he playfully swatted her bottom. "Not, now that I finally got you to say yes."

"I stand by what I said last night. You can be a little dense sometimes," Amanda said mischievously.

"Hey!" he protested. "Don't make me make you take that back again."

"Well, if you were listening properly, you'd have realized that all I was waiting for was for you to ask the right question," she taunted smugly as she held her hand up to watching the glint of the diamond as it caught the late afternoon sunlight pouring in through the bedroom window.

"Ok, ok," He conceded. "You've got me there. I was just chicken, I guess."

"You weren't too chicken to buy a ring," she pointed out. "I'm glad you decided not to chicken out on giving it to me.

"I'm glad I did, too" He smiled, captured her hand and softly kissed it where he'd just placed her engagement ring. "It looks a lot better there than in did in the store."

"It's beautiful," she agreed with an elated smile. "You have excellent taste."

"Do you really like it?"He asked anxiously as he nervously fiddled with the diamond.

"I love it. It's perfect," she gushed.

"Good," Lee said breathing easier. "You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get it." Lee told her how he stopped an attempted robbery, including the details of the smarmy sales clerk.

Amanda couldn't help but laugh. "Only you," she said.

"That's exactly what I thought," he said laughing with her. "It's just a good thing I never go anywhere unarmed."

"Well, that explains what the police cars were about when I got back to the supermarket. What I can't believe is that the guy was stupid enough to try to rob a jewelry store in broad daylight in the middle of a Saturday afternoon."

He laughed again. He couldn't believe how in sync their thoughts were about his adventure in the jewelry store. "That's exactly what I told the cops when they arrived. I think this is going to be one of those crazy stories we'll tell our grandchildren one day."

"It's not like with what we do for a living, we won't have enough crazy stories to tell them anyway," Amanda said with a chuckle.

"You make a good point," Lee said shaking his head with a smile. "All the life and death stuff we face on a regular basis, but you know something? I think you are going to be more dangerous that any spy I've ever faced."

"OH? How so," She inquired with a bemused look.

"This," he said indicating their state of undress. "Five times in less that twenty-four hours. That's a record for me."

"Hmm," Amanda said and couldn't resist teasing him. "You've led a sheltered life."

"What?"He said in surprise. "Don't tell me it's not a record for you too?"

Amanda kissed him softly. "You just wait until the honeymoon," she said with a wicked grin as she quickly scrambled out of bed and began to get dressed, leaving him with a puzzled look on his face.


	15. Dinner Theater

**Dinner Theater**

Saturday Evening, 7:00PM

Lee and Amanda were sitting at the dining table eating the dinner Lee had prepared for them, both lost in thought.

Amanda was the one to break the silence, getting his attention by rubbing her bare foot against his under the table. "You're very quiet, something on your mind?"

"No, not really," Lee said as he focused on cutting his steak.

"Lee, if we're going to get married, we have to be able to talk to each other about anything and everything. If something's bothering you, you should tell me, even if it's something that you think I may not like. If we're going to build a solid foundation for a good marriage, we have to be honest with each other.

"Ok," he said laying down his knife and fork. "I wanna know what that wisecrack you made about me living a sheltered life was all about and why you didn't give me a straight answer when I asked you about it."

"Oh," she said and went silent reached for her wine glass and took a sip.

"You're still not going to answer me?"

"Why? Do you really want to do this? Discuss our sexual history?"

"Why not," Lee answered. "Didn't you just say that we have to be honest with each other?"

"Ok, what is it that you really want to know? Is it what my record in a day is or are you more interested in knowing who it was with?"

"Both," Lee said.

"I'm warning you, you may not like the answer," Amanda said.

"Hit me," Lee said. "I can take it."

"Ok, it was six times and it was with Joe," she answered honestly.

"Oh," he said turning his attention back to his plate. She'd been right. He didn't like that answer a bit.

Amanda reached for his hand and squeezed it affectionately. "Lee, don't do this."

"No, it's my fault. I asked and you warned me that I may not like the answer."

"Come on, that was a long time ago, back when things were still good between him and me. It was before the boys came along. We were newlyweds."

"Newlyweds, huh," Lee said lost in thought. "Care to elaborate?"

"What, you want details?"

"Well, not a play by play or anything. I don't want that much elaboration, but I'm curious," Lee answered. "Since this weekend started, you've done some things that surprised me. Things I never thought you'd do and you've let me do some things I never thought you would. I guess I'm just wondering where it comes from. I always thought that of the two of us, I was the one with more experience, but it sure as hell doesn't feel that way."

"Did you ever consider that having more partners doesn't necessarily equal having more experience?"

Lee gaped at her in shock. "You think you've had more sex than I have?"He asked her challengingly.

"I can almost guarantee it," she fired back.

"You _have_ heard the water cooler talk about me, haven't you? Not all of it is exaggerated," he said his eyes dancing in amusement.

"Oh, I've heard it. Still though, having wild sex with multiple partners doesn't mean that you have more experience, nor does it mean you have better sex. It's different when you're married or even in a long-term relationship. You get to know every little thing about a person when you're together longer, their likes, their dislikes, what turns them on, what turns them off and they get to know those things about you."

"Better sex, huh?" He couldn't help but wonder if that meant she was thinking that her sex life with her ex had been better than with him. He knew that nothing he'd experienced in his past could compare to what he'd had with her this weekend, but now he worried that she didn't feel the same way.

The look on Lee's face told Amanda exactly what he was thinking. "Look, this may not be something that you want to hear, but my sex life with Joe was never unsatisfying. That's not why our marriage fell apart. When he started traveling all the time, the physical distance between us turned into emotional distance. It wasn't that way at first. In the beginning, when he'd come home, we'd be all over each other because we'd been apart for so long, but as time went on, we started fighting about it a lot. He'd beg me to go back with him and I'd beg him to stay. We eventually just realized that it has caused us to fall out of love with each other. We tried a couple of times to re-ignite the flame, but it never worked. It just wasn't there anymore."

"So, when he came back a few months ago, you never thought of trying to start it up again, rekindle the old flame?"

"No, that was over a long time ago, but it's not all bad. I have some great memories of the good times and two amazing boys to show for it."

"Ok, so I still don't get where you think that all of that means you have more experience than me. I have had _a lot_ of experience."

"I know that, but your experience is different than mine. You may have slept with more people than I have, but how many of those were long-term relationships? Did any of them last more than a year?"

"No," he said honestly. "Some of them didn't even last a month."

"That's exactly my point. Having someone there sleeping next to you every night means more opportunities for sex than when you're single and sleeping alone most nights. I'll bet you that I had more sex the first three years I was married to Joe than you've had in your entire life," she countered daringly.

"Is that right? Hit me with your best shot."

"Ok, you asked for it," She said in a warning tone."Let's start with the honeymoon. For the first three days, we didn't even get out of bed except to order room service."

"Ok, that's a good start, but I'm still not convinced," Lee said with a smirk.

"You want more? Are you sure you can handle it?" she teased.

"Bring it on," Lee answered.

"Ok, when we first bought the house, my parents had agreed to keep Phillip for a couple of days so we could get unpacked and settled in without having to chase a two-year-old around. During that time, we eagerly embraced the tradition of christening every room in the house."

"Does that mean what I think it means?"Lee asked his eyebrow arched inquisitively.

"What do you _think_ it means?"

Lee got her meaning, but wasn't sure he was entirely comfortable with it. "You didn't...seriously...in every room?"

"Every one of them," Amanda answered.

"Huh," was Lee's only response as he contemplated what she'd just told him.

"Too much information," She asked a little worriedly.

"No, not really," he said. "I guess I just never thought about things that way. The first three days your honeymoon, huh?" He couldn't help but wonder with all she'd told him about her first marriage, if their sex life would be like that once they were married. If this weekend's adventures were anything to go by, he had a feeling that he was going to very much enjoy being married to her.

"Uh-huh," Amanda said.

"Well, we'll just have to do better on _our_ honeymoon. Set a new record," he said with an impish grin.

"You think you're up to the challenge?"She asked with a teasing flick of her tongue against her lips.

"Definitely," he answered.

"We don't have to wait for our honeymoon," Amanda said suggestively. "We've still got about two hours before we hit that twenty-four hour mark." She paused as she pushed away her empty dinner plate. "Now, that we've had dinner, I think I'm ready for dessert." She rose from her seat and slid into his lap, straddling him and kissed him firmly her hands on his shoulders. "Besides, we really should properly christen _your_ new place."

Lee's response was instantaneous. He wrapped his arms around her waist and returned her kiss; nudging her mouth open with his, while he worked on the buttons of her blouse. He was so absorbed in what he was doing; he didn't notice that she was doing the same to his shirt until she felt her hands on his nipples. He broke their kiss breathing heavily. "Amanda,' he groaned as she rocked against him and continued by pulling his shirttails from his jeans which had now become painfully tight. He dropped her blouse to the floor just as she was pushing his shirt off his shoulders and he was reaching to unhook her bra. He gasped as she took one of his nipples between her teeth while she reached for the button on his jeans making quick work of it and the zipper. She then slid off his lap to kneel in front of him tugging on his jeans. Once he was freed of them and his underwear, she took him in her mouth causing him to cry out again. "Oh, Amanda," he cried as he tangled his fingers in her hair. As she drew him deeper into her mouth and began to suckle him, He said, "Oh, God, do you have any idea what you're doing to me?"

She stopped what she was doing just long enough to look up at him and answer cheekily, "I've got a pretty good idea." She was about to resume her task and was halted by her fiancé' pulling her to her feet and tugging at her jeans quickly unfastening them and pushing them to the floor. She gasped as he trailed kisses from her hip to her stomach, dipping his tongue into her navel causing her to squeal as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties to push them down as he lowered his mouth to the dark curls between her legs. "Lee," She cried out as he stroked her with his tongue. Her knees began to buckle as the sensations became more intense.

Lee felt her losing her balance, but didn't let that stop him for more than a minute. With one arm, he swept the dinner dishes to the floor lowering her to the table then kneeling in front of her, lifting her legs over his shoulders as he resumed his task wanting to hear her crying out his name again. He took her in his mouth, stroking her with his lips and his tongue, loving the way she tasted, the way that she smelled, the way she bucked beneath him, the way she shifted to let him know where she liked to be touched, all the while telling him with her sighs and moans what pleased her the most. He thought about what she'd said earlier about a couple learning more about each other's likes and dislikes the longer they were together and he wanted them to get to that point. He continued his exploration, caressing her with his tongue, until her felt her legs tightening against his neck and shoulders and she cried out his name as her brought her to her peak. He didn't stop even then until he felt her tugging at his head. "Had enough?" he teased as he gazed at her, appreciative of the satisfied smile on her face.

"For now," she said breathlessly as she lowered her legs and sat up. "I want to finish taking care of you." She kissed him firmly, and then pushed him forcefully back into his chair and knelt before him, once again taking him in her mouth.

Lee groaned in response as she stroked him expertly with her lips and tongue, wondering just how she'd gotten so good at this. As he felt her pulling him deeper into her mouth, those thoughts disappeared and he was just lost in sensation, too much sensation. It was going to be over way too quickly if he didn't stop her. "Amanda," he croaked out, but she didn't stop. "Amanda, stop" he said more forcefully as he tugged at her hands to pull her up.

"You don't want me to finish?" she said in confusion. "You seemed like you were enjoying yourself."

"Oh, I was, but I couldn't hold on much longer and I want to be inside you again," he said as he pulled her into his lap and kissed her passionately.

Amanda moaned in response as she straddled him again and slowly guided him into her. They kissed like that for several minutes as she rocked above him, taking him into her as deep as she could. She was the one to break their kiss, leaning her head against his and gazing into his eyes, bracing herself with her hands on his shoulders as she rode him slowly. "Are you happy now," she teased as lowered her head to nip at his earlobe, which she'd already, discovered that he liked immensely.

"Mm-hmm,' he murmured into her hair. He loved every minute of it, which was unusual for him. He usually liked being the one in control, but with Amanda, he found he rather liked having her take charge. Even though they'd already made love five times, this was the first time that he'd let her really take the lead and set the pace for their lovemaking. The mark he'd left on her neck earlier was right at eye level and he couldn't resist brushing a soft kiss there.

"Don't tease me," Amanda whispered into his ear. Lee complied, clamping his mouth down harder on her neck, delighted at hearing her cry out. He gripped her hips pulling her down harder against him. "Oh, Lee," she cried out at the feelings he was creating in her. She wondered if she'd ever get enough of him, just as she felt her climax begin.

At feeling her begin to tighten around him, Lee tugged on her hips driving her down onto him harder and faster until they were both shaking as they reached their peak together. Lee wrapped his arms around her and she collapsed against his chest, her arms linked around his neck. Neither of them spoke for a long moment while they both tried to catch their breath and just held each other, their heavy breathing the only sound in the room.

Once Amanda had caught her breath, she pulled back enough to look into his eyes, ran her fingers through his hair, kissed him softly, then said, "One of these days, I _will_ finish what I started."

Lee chuckled and said, "One of these days, I'll let you."

"Good," she said with a firm nod.

Lee shook his head as he recalled their conversation with Francine earlier. "Generosity and stamina," he muttered.

"What exactly does that mean?"She asked curiously. "You said you'd tell me."

"I will, but you're probably not going to like it," he warned.

"Compared to all the stuff I just told you that I know you didn't want to hear?"

"Ok, you make a good point," Lee said. "It goes back to that first undercover assignment we worked where we had to pretend to be a suburban couple."

"Right, the Connie Beth fiasco," Amanda said recalling that case vividly.

"Well, Francine was giving me a hard time about the idea of being married to you..." Lee laid out the entire story, how he had gotten the best of Francine by insinuating that they'd been to bed together and waited anxiously for her reaction.

Amanda laughed and said, "You didn't?" Lee nodded sheepishly. "So, what do you think now that we _have_ been to bed together?"

"I think that what I said then is pretty accurate," he replied with a satisfied grin as he kissed her softly. "You're definitely generous and as for stamina, I'm starting to wonder how I'm going to keep up with you for the rest of my life."

"This from the great ladies man," she teased as she kissed him again. Thinking of the case reminded her again of his kitchen and how she'd thought about giving him a hard time regarding the items in it. "While we're on the subject of that case, I have to ask how you ended up with the rug and the curtains that I bought."

"I was wondering if you noticed those," he said wistfully.

"That's not an answer," Amanda said.

"After that case wrapped up, I went back to the house to grab them before the setup team could snatch them. They weren't part of agency inventory and since you'd spent your own money on them, I didn't feel like it was right to let the agency have them. I had always planned to give them to you, but then things got crazy and they ended up just shoved in my closet where I forgot about them until I found them when I was packing up my old place to move in here. I remembered what you said about liking your kitchen to be cheery and while I know it's not your kitchen, I kept imagining you in it, so I decided to get some use out of them. I was just thinking that if we did start getting more serious like I wanted us to, that I wanted you to feel comfortable here. Besides, I really do like the blue."

"That's really very sweet," Amanda said deeply touched by the gesture all thoughts of teasing him about it gone.

"I could still give them back to you, if you want them," Lee said.

"Not just yet," Amanda said. "Why don't we wait until we're married for real, then we'll decorate _our_ kitchen with them?'

"Our kitchen," he said thoughtfully. "I like the sound of that, out kitchen in our home."

"Now, just keep your shirt on-" Amanda said.

"I'm not wearing a shirt, thanks to you," he said with a mischievous grin interrupting her.

"Oh, you just think you're so cute, don't you?

"I _am_ cute," he replied.

"You know what I mean. We still have a lot we need to talk about before we start making plans," she pointed out. "And with the boys, we're going to need to take things a little slowly."

"I know," he said. "But if we're seriously thinking about a starting a life together, we at least need to talk about those things."

"Agreed, but first I think we need to clean up this mess we made," she said as she rose from his lap and glanced at the chaos the dining room was now in. She bent down and started picking up the scattered clothing, stepping into her panties as she tossed him his boxers.

"It's mostly my mess. I'll get it," Lee said as he stood and pulled on the underwear she'd just given him while Amanda was pulling his discarded shirt on. "Are you just going to adopt all my shirts now?" he teased.

"Well, I can't very well tell you to keep your shirt on if you're not wearing one, can I?" she countered while he pulled on his jeans. She gathered up the rest of their clothing.

"Amanda, I said I'll clean this up," Lee protested.

"I just figured while you were cleaning up from dinner, I'd at least pick up my clothes and take them back to the bedroom."

"All right, fine," he said as he bent to pick up the dinner dishes he'd knocked on the floor. "But then I want you to settle down and relax. I'll meet you in the living room when I'm done with this."

"The living room, not the bedroom," she questioned.

"Well, it's the only room we haven't _christened _yet," he said with a devilish grin. "And we still have more than an hour left."

"You're right," she said and shivered with anticipation of what the next hour might bring.


	16. Turning the House Lights Down

Author's Note: I wanted to say a quick thank you to all who have been faithfully following this story. I appreciate all the reviews. I'm a complete review junkie. That's what keeps me motivated to write when I know people are appreciating my efforts. Just for reference, the song mentioned in this chapter is "Lead Me On," by Maxine Nightingale. I always thought this would be a good song for Lee and Amanda when they were in that stage of transitioning from friends to lovers.

**Turning the House Lights Down**

Saturday Night 8:00PM

While Lee cleaned up the dining room and the kitchen, Amanda made her way back to the bedroom with her clothing. She folded them neatly and put them in her drawer, then reached for the lingerie box that she'd stashed there earlier. _No time like the present_, she thought. Besides, the evening was almost over and she might not have another opportunity since she had to go home tomorrow and resume her everyday life. She closed the bedroom door and flipped the lock on it, wanting to have some advance warning if Lee decided to join her in the bedroom rather than waiting for her in the living room.

She stripped out of Lee's shirt, hung it neatly in the closet, and then stepped out of her panties, tossing them into the still open dresser drawer before walking to the bathroom with the box. For the third time that day, she paused to examine herself in the mirror. She looked exactly like she felt, a woman who'd been well satisfied by a very talented lover. She raised her hand to examine the mark on her neck, now darker than it had been before since their escapade in the dining room. She was just grateful it was low enough on her neck that she could still hide it with a collared shirt when she got home. She didn't want her boys seeing it and asking questions that she wasn't prepared to answer. She was going to have a hard enough time telling them that she was engaged to a man they'd just met. She wasn't worried about her mother. She knew without a doubt that she'd be thrilled beyond belief that she was ready to settle down again.

She reached for the bottle of perfume she'd brought with her, removed the stopper, and daubed a few drops on her neck, her wrists and behind her knees before replacing in back on the countertop. She then opened the purple box, lifting out the satin and lace chemise-style gown her mother had bought her, pulling it over her head, then reaching for the matching lacy panties and sheer robe, pulling them on as well. She reached for her hairbrush, untangling her hair with long, even strokes, smoothing it out from where their nap and two rounds of lovemaking since then had made it a mess. Satisfied that she'd made herself presentable for her fiancé', she returned to the bedroom, tossed the empty box back in the drawer, closing it firmly.

Amanda flipped off the bedroom light and unlocked the door, but then hesitated nervously with her hand on the doorknob, wondering what Lee would think when he saw her. She stood there arguing with herself for a moment trying to reason with herself, arguing that he had asked her to marry hm and that they were in the beginning stages of planning a whole new life together. _It's now or never, Amanda, _she told herself firmly.

She opened the door and peered out into the hallway. She heard Lee still rattling around in the kitchen so she made her way quickly to the living room fireplace finding the box of matches she'd seen there earlier and lighting the candles that sat on the mantle. She then crossed the room to the stereo and tuned in to the station that she knew played nothing but love songs on Friday and Saturday nights from seven to midnight adjusting the volume control so that it would be loud enough for them to hear, but not loud enough to disturb his new neighbors. Having finished those tasks, she turned off the lamps on each side of the sofa, the candlelight now the only source of light in the room. Finding that that made the room just a little too dark, she glanced toward the dining room and finding that Lee was still occupied in the kitchen, she made a beeline for the dining table and grabbed the candles from there. She placed them on the coffee table lighting them as well. _That's better, _she thought. Now all she had to do was wait for Lee to finish up in the kitchen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lee glanced at the blue curtains at his kitchen window while he was doing the dinner dishes and found his mind drifting back to that first undercover assignment; how flustered Amanda had been by the idea of spending the night in the house with him. As he thought about it, he thought it had more to do with him exiting the bathroom with his shirt open. He recalled how she'd stared at his bare chest and he couldn't help but wonder what had been going through her mind then. There was no denying that there'd been a strong attraction between them from the start.

His thoughts then turned to the more recent events of their weekend; how things had progressed so fast. He found it unbelievable that just since yesterday morning they'd gone from a tentative kiss that had turned into a passionate one, to making love for the first time, to getting engaged and planning a life together. The more he thought about it though, the more he realized that it really wasn't as fast as it seemed. They'd been leading up to this for a while. He'd just never imagined in that moment of locking the office door that it would have led to this. They'd now made love six times since 9 O'clock last night.

His thoughts wandered to their dinner conversation and Amanda's reflections on her first marriage. While he hadn't liked some of the things he'd learned about her, he couldn't help but be amused by her assertion that she'd had more sex in her life that he had. Maybe it was true. She'd made a good point about having someone there all the time. While he had a lady-killer reputation, he really wasn't all about sex. He always liked to romance a woman, sometimes it had led to sex, but most times it had led to a good-night kiss and taking his date back to their own home, then returning to his where he spent the night alone. Granted, he'd probably had more than his fair share of lovers, but when he really thought about it, he found that none of them had been as fulfilling as what he'd shared with her this weekend.

As Lee turned off the tap in the kitchen sink and drained the dishwater, he heard the sound of soft music coming from the living room. He smiled wondering what Amanda was up to. He reached for the blue dishtowel that he'd bought to match the curtains, glancing up at them again while he dried his hands. He couldn't wait for the day he'd see them hanging in a home that they shared for real, not just for a cover. He tossed the towel aside, reached for the wine glasses he'd just washed and the half-empty wine bottle on the kitchen counter, poured two glasses, flipped off the kitchen light and carried them into the living room.

He thought his heart would stop at the scene in front of him. The room was bathed in nothing but the warm glow of candlelight and there was Amanda, his fiancée', his future wife, gently swaying to the soft music dressed as he'd never imagined. The red satin resting at mid-thigh level bared the majority of her unbearably sexy legs, the sheer robe revealing an almost backless satin gown beneath it, exposing her creamy skin. When he was able to catch his breath, he said, "You're beautiful."

Amanda jumped at the sound of Lee's voice behind her and turned to face him, her face a bright shade of red. "You've got to stop doing that," she said.

Lee's breath caught in his throat as she turned toward him and he got the full effect of the little outfit she was wearing, the lace bodice hinting at the perky breasts beneath it, the thin straps exposing the skin of her neck where he'd left his mark on her. He made a move toward her, handing her one of the glasses. "Maybe you should learn to be more alert to your surroundings," he teased. He continued to gaze at her appreciatively. "You never know when not paying attention might get you into trouble." He sipped at his wine to calm his nerves a little. He couldn't figure out why he was so nervous all of a sudden, especially since they'd spent the better part of the weekend together.

"What kind of trouble are we talking about?" she fired back blushing under his intense gaze sipping at her own wine.

"I think you know," He whispered in a low voice as he slipped his free arm around her neck and kissed her softly, pulling back to gaze into her eyes. He fingered the lightweight, gauzy fabric of the robe that barely covered her body and asked, "What's this about?"

"Let's call it a dress rehearsal for our honeymoon," Amanda said in a sultry tone sipping at her wine again nervously.

"I like it," Lee said. "You look amazing in red."

"Thank you," she said with a bright smile her nerves suddenly vanishing as she slid her free hand around his neck and kissed him firmly.

When their kiss ended, Lee looked at her desire blazing in his eyes. "Why, Mrs. King, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Me? Seduce you? Uh-uh," she said teasingly.

Lee took the wine glass from her hand and set both of them on the coffee table, turned back to her, took her hand in his and said, "Dance with me?"

"Dance with you?"She questioned in surprise.

"I did promise you dancing this weekend," he reminded her as he slid his other arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"So, you did," she said as she laid her free hand on his bare shoulder.

"I love you," Lee whispered as they swayed to the music together.

"I love you," she replied softly as she slid her arm up behind his neck to pull his in for another soft kiss.

They danced together through two songs neither paying attention to what songs they were as they held each other, moving to the music, sharing soft kisses and gazing lovingly at one another. It wasn't until the third song played, that they noticed the song as the lyrics struck a chord with both of them.

_I have often heard you say, you love me as a friend, but I love you more than anyone. You know I can't pretend no longer._

_I would give you anything; I'd throw my world away,_

_But you don't wanna' hear that anymore and you wanna' hear me say._

_Come on and lead me on,_

_Come on and tease me all night long,_

_Loving you, I know it's right,_

_I'll always need you. I'll never leave you. _

_Come on and lead me on_

_Tease me all night long._

_I'd rather be a fool with a broken heart than someone who never had a part of you._

During the the first verse and chorus of the song, their kisses had grown more heated, Lee's hands had drifted under her robe to caress her bare back, "No more dancing," Amanda gasped out.

"No more dancing," Lee said knowing that they were both talking about more than their current dance. He slipped his hands beneath the barely-there robe she wore, letting it drop to the floor as he kissed the skin of her exposed neck and shoulder causing her to shudder in his arms.

Amanda hands explored his bare chest sighing at the contact of his lips on her skin, and then felt his fingers slipping beneath the skinny straps of gown pushing it to the floor. He then pulled back to look at her. She trembled a little at the look of love and desire on his face as he lowered her to the floor, kissing her fiercely a low groan escaping him, his touches and kisses setting her on fire again. As he dipped his head in the hollow between her breasts, then took one of them in his mouth she couldn't help crying out, "Lee, oh, Lee."

He raised his head to look at her and said, "I love the way you say my name," before resuming his task taking her nipple into his mouth as he lowered his hand to the tiny scrap of lace between her legs as sliding his hand inside to caress her.

Amanda found her heart rate accelerating at what he was doing to her, unable to form words anymore, just moaning at the sensations his touch created. She couldn't believe that as many times as they'd made love since last night, she still wanted more of him. She grasped his back and hung on for dear life as waves of pleasure overtook her, screaming out his name as yet another climax hit her forcefully. "Lee!" She closed her eyes against the force of it and was dismayed at feeling him pulling away for a moment. She opened her eyes long enough to watch him dropping his jeans and underwear to the floor.

Lee pulled her to her feet long enough to remove the last article of clothing between them before settling himself on the sofa and pulling her into his lap to straddle him driving up into her as he pulled her head down for another round of fiery kisses. "Amanda," he groaned when he pulled back to look at her again seeing the fierce desire in her eyes, feeling her nails digging into his back as he thrust up into her repeatedly reveling in the feeling of her plunging downward to meet him thrust for thrust.

"Oh, Lee, I love the way you feel inside me," she cried out as she lowered her lips to his neck, suckling the tender pulse point there, her hands digging into his back as she clung to him.

Lee winced a little at her fingernails digging into him, but the slight pain was worth it to feel the exquisite pleasure being within her brought. He'd never felt this much for any woman in his life and was delighted to once again feel her muscles clenching around him as she pulled her lips from his neck and cried out his name. He pulled on her waist to drive himself deeper into her as his own climax overtook him and he called out her name in a strangled voice as he emptied himself inside her. He pulled her head down to his for another searing kiss as they rode out the wave together, clinging to each other.

"Wow," Amanda said once her breathing was more under control.

"Yeah," Lee said. "So, new record," he teased with an impish grin.

"Is that what this was about," she teased back.

"No, not really," he said unconvincingly.

Amanda caught on, kissed him softly and said, "Lee, you don't have to compete with Joe. I told you all that was over a long time ago."

"I know it's over, Amanda, but that'll never change your history with him. You said it yourself earlier. You have a lot of memories."

"True, but that's all they are. I have a lot of memories with you too and the more time we spend together, the more new ones we'll create."

"Did you ever wear sexy lingerie for him like you did for me tonight? Never mind, stupid question. Of course you did. You were married to the guy for a decade."

"Lee, don't do this," Amanda pleaded. "Let the past be the past. I can't change it anymore than you can change yours."

"Yeah, but my past is different. You're never going to be confronted with any woman that I loved. Dorothy is dead and Ava's in a federal prison, the rest of my relationships were frivolous short-lived affairs where you had a ten-year marriage with Joe and two children. That means he's always going to be there, be a part of your life."

"That's true and I love Joe..."

"What?'

"Hear me out, Lee, before you get bent out of shape. A part of me will always love Joe. While he wasn't my first lover, he was my first real love and he's the father of my children, but here's the thing you don't get. I'm _in love_ with you. He's my past and you're my future. Besides, the way we're going, it may not be long before you and I have a child together."

Lee smiled at the thought of the woman he loved carrying his child and said, "Maybe. Still your past is one that I'm always going to have to deal with."

"Well let's talk about your past for a minute. You mentioned Dorothy and Ava, but what about Francine? You had more than a short-term affair with her, didn't you? You're still friends with her and she's someone I'm going to see at the office on a regular basis."

"Ok, yes, Francine and I had something of a relationship, but it wasn't really a romantic one. It was more a friends-with-benefits thing that lasted off and on for about seven months or so. She and I never even went on a real date and I was never in love with her. I care for her as a friend, but that's it."

"You know what," Amanda said as she planted a soft kiss to his lips before pulling back to look him in the eye. "I think we need to stop talking about the past and start focusing on our future."

"I like that idea very much," he replied with a smile.


	17. A Long Run

**A Long Run**

Saturday night 10:00PM

After their bodies had had cooled down from their last round of loving, Amanda had slipped off the couch to retrieve her gown and as she'd begun to get cold. Lee noticed and rose from the couch, pulled his boxers back on, walked to the fireplace and built a fire. They then sat cuddled up in front of it, him leaning against the couch with her in front of him, his arms wrapped around her. When she shivered in his arms he said, "Still cold?"

"A little," she said as she leaned against him. "This outfit isn't much for warmth."

"I don't know about that. It made me pretty warm," he replied in a suggestive tone as he nipped at her earlobe.

"Oh yeah," she questioned with a smile as she leaned her head back against the solid wall of his chest.

"Mm-hmm," he said lightly nuzzling her neck. "Hey, let me up a sec." When she obliged, he walked to the hall closet and came back with a blanket, sat beside her and pulled it over the two of them. "Better?" he said as he draped his arm around her shoulders, idly fiddling with the slender strap of her gown.

"Much," Amanda replied softly. She wasn't sure if it was the blanket, the fire or his closeness, but she was definitely beginning to get warm again. "So, you liked the outfit, huh?"

"Very much," he answered. "So, while I was shopping for your ring, you decided to do a little shopping of your own, huh?"

"No, this has been on my closet shelf forever," Amanda said. At seeing Lee's face fall, she realized how that must have sounded to him.

"Oh," He said sounding a little hurt before Amanda could explain properly. "And, here I thought it was something you wore just for me."

"Lee, I didn't mean it like that," she explained. "I did wear it just for you. My mother bought it for me back in the days when she thought she could coerce me into marrying Dean. She thought it might give me a little incentive to settle down when he started talking about marriage, but I never wore it for him or anybody else. It's been in that closet waiting until I found the right man to wear it for and that right man is you. I love you and I wanted to do something special for you for all the things you've done to make me feel special."

Lee brightened at her words. "I have to admit, when I first saw you wearing it, I was surprised, pleasantly, but still surprised. I feel like that more I think I get to know you, the more of a mystery you are to me. You got any other surprises for me?"

"You just never can tell," she teased light-heartedly.

"Well, I know I'm going to enjoy spending the rest of my life unraveling the mystery of Amanda King," he murmured against her neck. "I have to agree with what you said at the dinner table though."

"I said a lot of things at the dinner table. Which one are you talking about?"

"What you said about getting to know someone leading to better sex. I feel like it just keeps getting better every time we make love," he answered as he brushed a light kiss to her almost bare shoulder.

"Still think you have more experience than me?" she teased.

Lee laughed and said, "I think that's still up for debate."

"Ok, how about this? First time?"Amanda asked.

"Oh, you wanna' go that way, huh?"

"Why not? You've already heard all about my married life. It's your turn to share."

"Ok. First time," he said as he thought about it. "Melinda Bake, tenth grade, behind the bleachers."

"No way," she said with a laugh. "Behind the bleachers, really?"

"I did play football player, remember? She was a cheerleader, so it kind of all fell into place. She brutally broke my heart, though. She was a senior when I was a lowly sophomore. I seem to remember somebody once saying you can never trust a cheerleader," he teased reminding her of the case where they'd to track down her old classmate.

"Hey!' she said as she playfully smacked his arm.

"So, what about you?"

"It was right before my seventeenth birthday, Billy Peterson, the night of my junior prom."

Lee laughed and said, "You lost your virginity on prom night? How very cliché."

Amanda couldn't help but laugh. "It wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It didn't last three minutes and I was left wondering what all the fuss was about."

"Maybe I should give Billy Peterson some lessons," Lee said laughing heartily.

"Not necessary. He eventually learned how to pace himself," Amanda said.

"So, you gave the poor guy another chance after that?" he said with a laugh.

"Well, everybody deserves a second chance," Amanda said. "Ok, your turn again, I'll bet you were a wild man in college being a fraternity guy and all."

"Oh? Well, what about you? I used to hear some crazy things about you Kappa girls," he teased.

"Ok, yes, but you have to remember that I met Joe in college," Amanda reminded him.

"How did that happen anyway? You went to UVA and he went to Georgetown. There's a two-hour drive from Charlottesville to Georgetown."

"Through his older sister, Maggie," Amanda explained. "She was one of my sorority sisters who was a year ahead of me and she invited me to go with her to a party at Georgetown one weekend my junior year."

"And introduced you to her little brother in the process," Lee filled in.

"No, actually," Amanda said with a laugh. "In fact, she told me to stay away from him and said that he wasn't my type because he was to bookish type and me being a cheerleader, she thought I was too wild for him."

Lee laughed and said, "Why does that not surprise me? So, I'm guessing you didn't take her advice."

"No, I did. He was the one who pursued me. I didn't know he was her brother until we'd spent half the night talking. We were married a little over a year later after we both graduated."

"Yeah, I know the rest. That was the summer before he started law school and you got pregnant with Phillip right away."

"No, I was expecting Phillip on our wedding day," Amanda said.

"What?"

"I'm surprised you've never done the math," she replied. "We were married in August and Phillip was born the following March."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Lee said with a shake of his head. "Old habits die hard, I guess. You were pregnant when you married Joe and you might be pregnant before we get married."

"Maybe," she said with a smile. She reached to retrieve her wine glass from the coffee table and as she went to take a sip; she noticed how the diamond on her hand sparkled in the firelight. "This really is a beautiful ring," she commented as she sipped her wine.

Lee smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. The guy at the jewelry store kept trying to talk me into these big flashy ones and I just knew they weren't you, you know?"

"Well, this one is perfect," she said as she placed a tender kiss to his lips. "I absolutely love it."

"I'm glad," Lee said sincerely as he gazed longingly into her eyes. "I... I love you so much and I wanted you to have a ring that you would love just as much."

Amanda's heart began to race at the intense look in his eyes as it really sank in just how much he really did love her. "So, I guess you really meant what you said to Francine today about us having a longer run that _Cats_, huh?"

"Yeah, I had the ring in my pocket the whole time I was shopping and to be honest, I hadn't planned to give it to you yet. I thought maybe it might be too soon, but when we woke up from our nap, I thought about how much I like waking up next to you. I want that for the rest of my life."

"I want that too," she said. "I loved waking up with you beside me this morning and after our impromptu nap, but you do realize that turning our engagement into marriage is going to have to wait a little while, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know," he said a little sadly, as he took a swig of his own wine.

"I want you to know that it's not because I don't want to marry you. I love you and I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't, but it's not fair to the boys to just throw a new stepfather at them when they're really just getting to know their own father again."

"Well, if you ask me that's his own fault," Lee replied bitterly. "I don't feel like we should be basing our future plans on his relationship with them."

"I'm not saying that. You're right, Lee. It _is_ his own fault that he doesn't have a real father-son relationship with them. The only thing that I'm concerned about is your relationship with them. I want them to feel more comfortable with you before we say, "I do."

"I understand that. I just don't want to wait too long to start living my life with you."

"You're already living your life with me. This weekend had proven that. I think we need to just hold off on making wedding plans until the boys have a little time to adjust."

"And what if you' are pregnant?" I'm not willing to wait to make you my wife if you're carrying my child."

"If I am, then _we'll _adjust," she said. "The boys will just have to accept it. I wasn't thinking of waiting a very long time anyway. Their summer vacation is coming up in another month and that will give them more free time to get to know you, so I was thinking maybe a late summer wedding, like late August, maybe early September. What do you think?"

"That's three months away," He complained.

"Yes, but what's three months after waiting three years?"

"Ok, you make a good point," Lee conceded. "I can agree to that, but I have something I want you to think about."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Buying a new house," Lee said. "I don't feel comfortable living in the same house with you that you used to share with your ex."

"Lee, really, you shouldn't feel threatened by my past with Joe."

"I'm sorry, Amanda, but I can't help how I feel. You bought that house with him; you have all these memories of him there. Remember that I told you that I got this place so I could start fresh with you?" He drank the last drops of wine and set his glass down, wrapped both arms around her and pulled her close.

"Yeah, I do," she said as she put her own glass down and sank deeper into his embrace.

"A big part of that was because I didn't want my past creeping in and tarnishing the new memories I'd be making with you. The same thing applies with your place. I feel like if we're starting a new life together, it should be in a new place that's not yours or mine, but ours, one that we picked out together. Besides that, if we do end up having kids together..." he said as he lightly brushed his fingers across her stomach, "...your place wouldn't be big enough."

"You do make a good point there," she agreed. "Ok, we can shop for a new house, on one condition."

"Name it," Lee said.

"I want the boys included in whatever decision we make. If they're going to live there too, I want them to feel comfortable."

"You got it," Lee said compliantly.

They talked for a while longer about their future, their wedding, their family and the idea of shopping for their new home until they were both too tired to form coherent thoughts and drifted off to sleep wrapped up in each other in front of the fire.


	18. Encore

Author's note: I meant to have this chapter finished and posted yesterday morning, however, I was delayed by a death in the family. Our 15-year old tabby cat, Princess, has a stroke yesterday and we were forced to send her off to kitty heaven to spare her any more pain. My husband and I were both a wreck over it as was our remaining cat, Willow, who spent the rest of the night crying and looking for her surrogate sister when we didn't bring her home from the vet with us. I'm back to it now and only have two more chapters after this to complete this tale.

**Encore**

Saturday night/Sunday Morning 2:00AM

Lee and Amanda were awakened by the sound of a blaring rock song on the radio, the love songs show long over. "Ugh," was Lee's response as he tried to extract himself from his fiancée's arms. He glanced at the clock on the fireplace with a grimace, the candles atop it having burned themselves out.

"You ok," Amanda said.

"Yeah," Lee said as he slowly sat up. "Just a little stiff."

"Are you," she quipped as she reached for his boxers but Lee grasped her hand firmly.

"You just keep your hands to yourself," he said with a daring smile as he kissed her hand. "I swear, you're going to be more dangerous to me than any KGB agent could ever think of being."

Amanda giggled and said, "So, you're not _up_ for another round?"

Lee frowned and said, "Not right this second."This sleeping on the floor is ok in your twenties, but not so much when you're over thirty-five. Give me a minute." He pulled himself to his feet using the couch as leverage, walked to the stereo and jabbed at the power button on it to turn it off.

Amanda sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself feeling a little chilled again with Lee no longer next to her and the fire having died down. "Well, it's not like we haven't spent the night in worse positions," she said as she reflected back on all the craziness that had happened to them in the past three years. Sleeping in a swamp, in straitjackets, tied to chairs and just a little over a week ago, handcuffed in the back of a limo.

"True," Lee said as he walked back toward her and noticed how she was wrapped up in the blanket. "You getting cold again?"

"A little," she said then after a beat she stood, dropped the blanket and added suggestively, "Maybe I need you to warm me up again." she twirled slowly giving him the full effect of the barely-there nightie she wore.

Lee gasped at seeing her again in the red gown that left very little to the imagination, hearing the seductive tone in her voice, seeing the blatant desire in her eyes. God, how he loved this woman. He slipped his arms around her waist, his hands once again sliding up her bare back and he shuddered a little at the contact. He kissed her softly, his tongue lightly teasing her lips. He shifted to lower his lips to her neck running his lips up her neck to her earlobe, whispering hoarsely in her ear, "Getting warm yet?"

"Mmm," she sighed as he nuzzled her neck. "Getting there, but I still need a little more.' She ran her hands up his bare torso, thumbing his nipples.

Lee growled low in his throat at her touch and couldn't imagine how he could ever have ever lived without this for so long. He hooked his fingers under the straps of her gown, letting it fall to the floor as he lowered his lips to her shoulder and downward to caress the valley between her breasts with his lips and tongue. He raised his head to lock eyes with her. "Let's go to bed," he said as he pulled her tightly to him. "We'll get you warmed up there."

"Yeah," she said in a choked voice, tears forming in her as she was overcome by emotion at the look of love in his eyes. It was a look that she'd seen so many times, but every time she'd seen it in the past, he'd always looked away as if he was afraid of being caught. This time, there was no sign of fear, just pure love that he was no longer afraid to share with her. It deeply touched her heart to know that it was there and not going away like it had in the past, to know that she was loved that much. "I love you," she whispered as they made their way down the hall sharing soft kisses and caresses until they made it back to the bedroom and fell into bed together locked in each other's embrace.

Lee pulled back for a moment to gaze at her again. "I love you," he said his voice also filled with more emotion than he could put into words. They held each other, making love slowly, touching, teasing, tasting and savoring each other until they were both breathing heavily and lay spent in each other's arms sharing slow, lingering kisses. "You warmer now?" he asked as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and wrapped them both up in the comforter.

"Pretty warm," she said with a loving smile as she pulled him in for another kiss. "And sleepy," she added with a yawn.

"I don't doubt that," he said with a laugh. "I think we've worn each other out this weekend. Between all of this and falling asleep on the floor, I know I'm going to be feeling it in the morning."

"You complaining," she teased.

"Not a bit," he said. "In fact, I can't wait until the day that I can hold you like this every night," he kissed her softly, "fall asleep with you in my arms," he kissed her again, "wake up next to you every morning," he kissed her again more deeply this time and added, "and make love you to over and over again."

"I think you're done a pretty good job of that already," she said with a smile as she reflected on the events of the weekend. "You're not the only one who's going to be feeling it in the morning. I'm amazed that I'm still able to walk."

"Are _you_ complaining?" he inquired with a grin. "Because I could have sworn that you were enjoying yourself just a few minutes ago.

"Mm-mm," she said with a shake of her head as she lazily ran her fingers across his chest. "Oh, I definitely was. I take back what I said earlier. You probably could teach poor Billy Peterson a thing or two."

"OH? And here, you seem to think I'm not all that experienced," Lee teased.

"I never said you weren't experienced. I just said that your experience is different from mine. I have no complaints about your skills. I'd do it all over again...and again...and again. I've wanted this with you for so long, loved you for so long. I just never thought..." Her voice broke as the tears that had filled her eyes fell.

"Hey,' he said as he cradled her against him, lovingly stroking her face."Shhh...It doesn't matter what we thought in the past...how long it took...we're together now and we're going to keep it that way. I love you, Amanda King and I am going to love you for the rest of my life."

"Me too," she said. "I'm going to love you for the rest of my life too and I can't wait until the day that I'll be your wife. I just wish we didn't have to wait, but the boys..."

"I know. I get it, Amanda. I do. They'll need time. Hell, _I'll_ need time. I don't know if I'm going to be any good at this step-dad gig, but I'm going to do my best to try and I'm willing to wait for you as long as I have to in order to make it work with them. I don't want to wait, but I will, for you, for them. That's how much I love you."

"I love you too, more than you know, more than I could ever find the right words to express, and the fact that you're willing to wait just for the sake of my children, that makes me love you even more," she said tears still glistening in her eyes.

"Hey, no more tears," he said as he brushed the tears from her face. "I am so amazed that you could love someone like me with all the rotten crap I've done in my life."

"Like I said, dense," Amanda said with a smile. "Don't you know by now that none of that matters to me? You're my hero; you always have been, just like a prince in a fairy tale who rescues the princess and I don't just mean with the bad guys."

"No, Amanda, you're _my_ hero," he corrected. "You've rescued me in more ways that I can count and I don't mean with the bad guys either. You rescued me from the hell I made for myself, from a lonely bitter life. I tried so many times to push you away like I've done with just about everyone who ever tried to get close to me, but you just kept coming back. You never stopped believing in me, being there for me, loving me, even if you didn't admit that's what it was, even when I was so thoughtless to you that I didn't deserve your love. How could I help falling in love with you? What I don't understand is how you could fall in love with me too when there's so much about me that unlovable."

"Lee, that's just silly. There's so much about you to love, the way that you care for the people around you, how you always give it your all, how even when things look grim, you keep fighting until they don't look so grim anymore. You never give up and you never give in. That's what I love about you, your strength, your courage and your amazing, giving heart." She placed her hand over his heart, "This heart of yours is what has kept me sane, and kept me from being terrified out of my wits when we've been in some pretty tight spots."

"Yeah, we've been in quite a few of those, haven't we?" he mused.

"But we've always gotten out of them together," Amanda pointed out. "That's what makes us such a good team and I think once we're married, we're going to make an even better team and not just at work."

"Me too," he said as he kissed her softly. "In fact, I think we already are." He kissed her again. The conversation dwindled as the fatigue caused by the events of the weekend began to set in. Lee thought about his normal habit of sleeping with the bathroom light on so he wasn't sleeping in total darkness. He thought about getting up to turn it on, but didn't want to leave her arms. He gazed down at her and for the first time in years, he decided that he didn't need the light to feel secure while he slept, not with her there. The comforting presence of her arms around him was security enough.


	19. Sunday Matinee

**Sunday Matinee**

Sunday Afternoon, 12:00PM

Lee was awakened by a knocking on his front door. He slipped out of bed grabbed his boxers from the floor to pull them back on, brushed a light kiss to Amanda's forehead as she lay sleeping and made his way to the door.

Amanda woke slowly, smiling at how well rested she felt. She shifted to stretch out her sore muscles and slowly opened her eyes, starting a little to find that she was in bed alone. "Lee?" She slipped out of bed and walked to the bathroom to grab the discarded shirt of Lee's that he had worn Friday and she'd spent most of the day yesterday wearing, pulling it on and buttoning it as she made her way toward the hall.

As Amanda stepped out of the bedroom, she heard Lee saying, "What the hell are you doing here?" She stood in the hallway out of sight to listen for a moment until she knew who he was talking to.

"Is that anyway to greet a friend who just stopped by to see your new place," She heard Francine's acerbic voice say. "Why so cranky? Did Amanda finally come to her senses? Did your _run_ with her end already?"

"No, it didn't. In fact, I don't see my run with her _ever_ ending," Lee snapped.

"Well, I didn't see her car outside when I pulled up, so it couldn't have lasted too long."

"That's because I drove us here in my car," Lee said.

"So, you're saying she's still here?" Francine said as she stepped further into the room surveying its condition, the wine glasses, empty wine bottle, the burned down candles, and the blanket on the floor. That was when she spotted the lacy red confection Amanda had worn the night before. "Expanding your wardrobe?" She teased as she picked it up and held it up by its thin straps.

"Give me that," Lee snapped snatching it from her hand as he turned from her and tossed it aside.

"It's not your color anyway," Francine joked.

"Very funny," Lee groused.

"Oh, my, what happened to your back, Lee? You tangle with some barbed wire again," Francine said glibly as she took in the sight of the scratches Amanda had left on him.

"No, Francine," Lee answered and with a mischievous grin added, "If you must know, I got attacked by a wildcat."

Amanda giggled, stepped into the room and said, "You should know better, Lee. You know when you get those wildcats riled up; they'll claw you to pieces." She ran her fingers tenderly over the marks left by their passion last night.

"The wildcat?" Francine said disbelievingly.

"Hi," he said with a smile at seeing Amanda and ignoring Francine.

"Hi," she said.

As he gazed at her appreciatively, his back still to Francine he said, "I'm never getting that shirt back, am I?"

"Uh-uh," Amanda said. "Besides, it's not like I brought a real nightgown with me to sleep in," she added with a nod to the little red number Lee had just tossed aside where it had landed on the couch.

"You didn't end up needing one," He said with a grin. "That's ok, the shirt looks better on you anyway," he said as kissed her softly then whispered in her ear, "And you look even better out of it." He nuzzled her neck, not caring that Francine was watching.

"Hey, you just knock that off," Amanda said pushing his head away with a laugh. "You've already done quite enough damage there. You do anymore and I'm going to have the worst time explaining it to my boys when I go home in a couple of hours."

"Wow," Francine said as she gazed at the "damage" Amanda was talking about. "Yeah, you're gonna' need a turtleneck or a heavy-duty scarf to hide that as it is." Amanda self-consciously pulled at the collar of Lee's shirt with both hands. It was then that Francine noticed the diamond ring for the first time. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked with a nod toward Amanda's left hand.

Lee slipped an arm around Amanda's waist finally facing Francine again and said, "Yes, it is, Francine. I asked Amanda to marry me last night and she made me insanely happy by saying yes."

"You're getting married?" Francine said utterly floored by the news. "_You?_"

"Yes, _we_ are," Lee said firmly. "A longer run that _Cats_," he reminded her.

"So, I see," Francine said still not quite believing it.

"And we have a lot to discuss on that front so if you don't mind..." He gestured toward the front door.

"Ok, I can take a hint," she said as she made her way to the door. Just before she opened it, she turned back to add another biting comment, however, when she looked back and saw the glowing smiles on both of their faces as they gazed at one another, she thought better of it and simply said, "Congratulations," then walked quickly out the door leaving them alone again.

"So, you said Joe's bringing the kids home around 4 O'clock, right?" Lee said.

"Yep," Amanda answered.

"So, that still gives us about three hours to spend together before I have to take you home."

"There's a lot we can do in three hours," she said suggestively. "Where do you suggest we start?"

"I was thinking we might get in a little more practice for our honeymoon," he said in a low, seductive voice, as he lowered his mouth to her neck, undoing the buttons on the shirt she wore and dropping it to the floor before capturing her lips in a fiery kiss. He didn't know what it was about it that did it, but he found her wearing his shirt to be incredibly sexy and that it made him want her more than he'd ever thought possible. He felt Amanda grasping for his boxers tugging at them to pull them down. He broke their kiss long enough to step out of them and backed her up against the fireplace, resuming their kissing. He reached his hand under her tight bottom, lifted her up, pressed up against the fireplace and plunged into her.

Amanda tore her mouth from his and cried out, "Lee!' wrapping her legs around him, leaning her back against the mantle to brace herself as he moved within her. She placed one hand on the mantle and one on the back of his neck as she looked into his eyes and said, "I love you."

"I love you," he said hoarsely as the sensation of being inside her again began to take over all rational thought. He pulled down on her hips as he thrust up into her, wanting to bury himself as deep inside her as he could, knowing that their weekend together was almost over. He was elated to hear her cry out his name again as he drove deeper into her repeatedly until they were both wracked with the spasms of their release. "Oh, Amanda," he whispered as he buried his face in her neck shuddering against her as he felt her trembling against him as well her arms wrapped around his neck. "I can't get enough of you."

"I feel the same way," Amanda said as she rained kisses on his face and neck. "Oh," she whimpered slightly at no longer feeling him inside her as he lowered her back to the floor.

"You ok?"

"Yeah," she said as she kissed him softly."I'm very ok." She bent and reached for his shirt pulling it back on buttoning it just enough to cover herself. "We should get this mess cleaned up before I have to go home."

"Leave it. I'll get it later," Lee said.

"When are you going to have time? You're supposed to be having dinner at the house tonight, and then we have to be back at work tomorrow morning. We should really do this now. Then I need to get in the shower," Amanda said.

"You think you might want some company in that shower?" he said wrapping his arms around her waist again.

"I'd love it," she said, kissed him one more time, and then pushed him away so as not to get distracted again. "But first the mess we made in here."

"You know that by the time we get back to work tomorrow, our engagement will be all over the agency, now that Francine knows," He said as he reached for the blanket they'd shared and began folding it while Amanda reached for the wine glasses and the empty bottle.

"Does that bother you," Amanda asked worriedly as Lee walked to the hall closet to put the blanket away.

"No, I don't care what anyone thinks. I'd just hate to have Billy to find out without us being the ones to tell him. He's been a good friend," Lee said as he returned to the living room and picked up the scattered pieces of Amanda's nighttime outfit.

"Well, why don't you call him and tell him while I finish this up?" Amanda headed off to the kitchen with the glasses and wine bottle. She tossed the bottle in the trash and washed the glasses placing them in the drainer with the dishes from last night's dinner. She then decided to go a step further and put away the dishes that Lee had washed the night before. It took her a little longer than it would have in her own home as she had to examine the cabinets to figure out what went where. She didn't mind taking the extra time, as she wanted to get to know his home since she planned to spend more time there in the future once she and Joe were able to work out a regular weekend visitation schedule with the boys.

Amanda exited the kitchen, walked back through the dining room and found Lee was no longer in the living room and that he'd finished straightening up in there. She made her way down the hall toward the bedroom just in time to hear Lee saying, "Thanks, Billy," just before he hung up the phone.

"So, how'd he take the news?"Amanda asked. "Was he surprised?"

Lee shook his head. "Not a bit. He just said congratulations and it's about damn time," Lee said with a laugh.

"I couldn't agree more on that point," Amanda said with a smile.

"He made a crack that he always knew it would happen. I think he set us up for this from the beginning, the way he was always throwing us together," Lee said with a good-natured laugh.

"I think you're right. I think being a happily married man himself; he saw the potential before we did. He's very perceptive."

Lee smiled and said, "I'm looking forward to the day when I'll be a happily married man myself."

"Lee, you know that..."

Lee silenced her with a soft kiss. "I know," he said. "We need to give it some time, so for now, I'll just settle for being a happily engaged man." He kissed her tenderly again. "Now, you said something about getting a shower," he added with a mischievous grin.

"So, I did," she said as she reached for his hand and they made their way into the bathroom together. She bent to turn the water on and was startled by Lee grabbing her from behind. She gave a little yelp at the surprise contact. "Stop doing that!" she said as she turned and playfully slapped at him.

Lee expertly caught her hands in his before she could make contact and lowered his lips to hers kissing her soundly. He then released her hands to once again strip his shirt from her body as he stepped into the shower, guiding her in with him. The second they were under the spray of the hot water, they were in each other's arms again, kissing and groping, their raw need for each other taking them both over. "Amanda," he groaned as she took him in her mouth again stroking him with her lips and tongue, one hand holding him at the base of his shaft, the other, grasping his ass as she suckled him boldly. This time, he made no move to stop her, just relished the feelings she was giving him. He tangled his fingers in her hair and just held on as she took him over the edge until he exploded in her mouth. "Amanda," he cried again as he emptied himself and she swallowed greedily.

Amanda placed a soft kiss to his tip, and then stood to face him. "I told you I'd finish eventually," she teased at seeing the glazed look in his eyes, bracing himself against the shower wall with one hand.

"And, boy, did you ever," Lee said breathlessly.

Amanda turned from him, stepped into the shower spray, reached for the soap and began to lather herself up. She squealed in surprise when her fiancé again grabbed her from behind and turned her to face him kissing her passionately, plundering her mouth with his tongue. She moaned against him as he then lowered his head to trail kisses down her neck, her chest, and her stomach before reaching his final destination. "Oh, Lee," she cried out as he caressed her with his tongue. This time it was her turn to brace herself against the wall as the sensations he was creating were making her weak in the knees.

Lee grasped her bottom as he devoured her, delighted in the sounds she was making. When he felt her shuddering above him, heard her joyous cries of release, he knew he'd achieved his goal of rewarding her for the pleasure she'd just given him. He ran his hands from her bottom to her back as he stood and kissed her again, pulling back to look into her passion-glazed eyes. "Speaking of finishing," he said with a smug grin.

Amanda laughed and just said, "Yeah," as she tried to catch her breath.

"We should really get to the real showering, so we can get you home," Lee said reluctantly, saddened that their weekend together was coming to a close, but also hopeful for their future when they would no longer be together for just the weekend.


	20. Aligning the Players

Author's Note: Ok, I unintentionally lied to all of you when I said this chapter was going to be the last. There was so much that I wanted to include that I had to slit it into two chapters or I would have had one excessively long chapter.

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**Aligning the Players**

Sunday Afternoon 3:30PM

When Lee and Amanda arrived back at her house, Amanda was surprised not to see her mother waiting for them since she'd been so insistent on inviting Lee for dinner with the family. "Mother?" Amanda called from the bottom of the stairs. When she heard no reply, she turned to Lee and said, "Maybe she didn't make it home yet.

"So, her date must have gone well too," Lee said with a grin. "Like I said, you two are scandalizing the neighborhood.

"Oh, shut up," she said.

"Hey, I wouldn't mind scandalizing _my_ neighbors a little more," he said as he winked at her. "Maybe next weekend?"

"I'd love to, but I can't I'm on chaperoning duty for Phillip's school dance. It's his first real formal."

"Jamie's not going?"

"He can't. It's only open to seventh and eighth-graders and Jamie's only in fifth grade," Amanda explained.

"Well, maybe I could help you with your chaperoning duties then," he suggested.

"You really want to spend the whole evening with a gymnasium full of thirteen and fourteen-year olds?"

"Isn't that part of the whole parenting gig? I'm going to have to get used to this whole step-dad thing eventually. Why wait?"

"Ok, if you're sure, then I'll give Mrs. Dennis a call tomorrow and tell her she'll have one more chaperone."

"Good," he said giving her a quick kiss.

"You just better behave yourself while we're there. The last thing I need is it getting back to the school that the chaperones needed to be chaperones," she teased.

"I'll be a complete boy scout, I promise," he said. "Besides I'm going to have to get into the swing of the fatherly stuff if we end up with a baby on the way."

"Yeah, I know," she said with a smile. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"I'm not, but we both know it's a possibility after this weekend."

"It is, but it's way too soon to tell until Mother Nature decides it's time to give us a sign," she pointed out. "Hey, would you mind making a pot of coffee while I go stuff away?" she asked indicating the bag on her shoulder containing the toiletries had packed up her since she'd need them at home. She had decided to leave behind her clothing and the bottle of expensive French perfume since she had other perfume at her house so that she'd still have some things at Lee's place for the next time she spent the night there.

"Sure," Lee said then added with a grin, "I could definitely use with the lack of sleep I've been getting this weekend."

"Exactly what I was thinking," she replied with a smile. She kissed him quickly and headed up the stairs.

Lee walked to the coffee pot on the counter next to the sink, began to make the coffee as requested, and had just started it brewing when he heard voice behind him.

"You're making coffee, Great, I'm out!" Buck said as he entered the room empty coffee cup in hand. "So, you're Amanda's new boyfriend, right?"

"I wouldn't say new," Lee said. "We've been seeing each other for a while."

"AH," buck said with a nod. "Well, you must be the reason she keeps disappearing then. There was one time that I swear she came home looking like she'd been crawling through a swamp."

Lee laughed and said, "Really?" wondering what her neighbor would say if he told him that she really had spent the night crawling through a swamp.

"You look really familiar. We've met before, haven't we?"

"Sort of," Lee said. "I was here when you had that crazy block party."

"Right," Buck said snapping his fingers. "you were the guy who took off with my WC Fields mask."

"Well, you were bobbing for apples in a hot tub at the time, so I didn't think you'd miss it too much," Lee said with a laugh. He was already irritated with this guy. All the more reason that he was glad he'd convinced Amanda that they should shop for a new house before they got married, preferably in a neighborhood far away from Buck.

While Lee was downstairs entertaining Buck, Amanda had just finished putting her toiletries away and was exiting the bathroom when her mother entered her bedroom. "Well, welcome home," Dotty said with a smile. "Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yeah, it was great," Amanda said a little less enthusiastically than she would have ten minutes ago.

"You don't sound convinced of that. Did something happen? You and Lee didn't split up already, did you?"

"Oh, no, no, nothing like that, Mother. We had a great weekend together. In fact, he's downstairs now. He decided to take you up on your dinner invitation."

"Oh, that sounds promising," Dotty said excitedly.

"That's not all that's promising," Amanda said with a smile. "He asked me to marry him."

Dotty squealed in delight. "Oh my gosh! You're kidding? Oh, Amanda, please tell me that you're not kidding. There's only so much a mother's heart can take."

"Does this look like I'm kidding?" Amanda said as she held up her left hand proudly displaying the diamond ring Lee had placed there last night.

"Oh, Darling, I'm so happy for you!" Dotty said as she hugged her daughter tightly then abruptly released her and said, "Let me see the ring." She grabbed Amanda's hand. "Oh," she said softly. "It's absolutely stunning. The man has excellent taste. Of course he would have to, if you chose you to be his wife. So, tell me everything. How did he ask you? Did you set a date yet? What kind of wedding do you want to have? Are you thinking of having more children?"

"Mother, slow down," Amanda said. "In fact, don't just slow down, stop! We haven't set a date yet because the boys only met him last night. As for the wedding, we'll decide that once we set a date and as for more children..." Amanda paused, sighed and said, "...We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. He wants kids of his own and I would like to have another baby, but one step at a time. We need to give Phillip and Jamie time to get to know him first. I don't want them just having a new stepfather thrust on them all at once. They'll need time to adjust."

"Let me ask you something? Does Lee make you happy?"

"Yes, very," Amanda said.

"Then the children will adjust, especially once they see how happy you are. There's no reason for you to put off living your life. I mean, you are happy about this, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course, I am, Mother. I love Lee very much. I wouldn't have said yes to his proposal if I didn't."

"Hmmm, I could swear I saw just a hint of sadness on your face when I walked in here. Are you sure everything's ok?"

"Yes, Mother, everything's fine, but I should get back downstairs to Lee."

"Yes, of course. You don't want to keep your fiancé' waiting."

As they descended the stairs together, Amanda asked, "So, where were you when I got home?"

"Oh, I was taking a nap when I heard you moving around in the next room."

"OH? Did Hunter keep you out all night again?"Amanda teased.

"That is none of your business, Missy," Dotty said.

"So, you're allowed to butt into my personal life, but I'm not allowed to retaliate?"

"It's a mother's prerogative to butt in," Dotty said as they reached the landing and stepped into the kitchen to find Buck laughing at something Lee just said.

"What's going on in here?"

"Oh, Buck here was just filling me in on some of the adventures of your neighbors," Lee said with a please-save-me look on his face.

"Buck, what are you doing here," Amanda said in annoyance then turned to Lee. "Did you let him in?" When Lee shook his head and silently took a sip of his coffee, Amanda turned back to Buck and said, "OK, Buck, We've talked about this. You knock on the door and wait to be invited in. Now, if you don't mind, the boys will be home any minute and we've got a family dinner planned." She gestured toward the French doors that led toward his house.

"Hey, I just came over for coffee," Buck said defensively.

"You weren't invited over for coffee," Amanda said. "Now, go."

"All right, all right, you don't have to tell me twice. I can tell when I'm not wanted."

Amanda bit her lip to stop herself from reminding him that she did have to tell him twice as that would just get him started again. She breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind him.

"I think I liked him better when he was bobbing for apples," Lee said with a chuckle. "At least then he couldn't talk."

"Were you at that nutty party?" Dotty inquired.

"Uh, yeah, sort of," Lee said sheepishly. He wasn't sure how much Amanda had told her mother about how long they'd actually been seeing each other.

"Oh, I get it. You were the man in the WC Fields mask that I caught Amanda with out on the patio." Amanda glanced at him with a grin, wondering how he was going to answer her mother's question. When his eyes met hers in the pleading look she knew so well, she just raised her eyebrows to let him know he was on his own. The unspoken communication between them was not lost on Dotty. She looked from her daughter to Lee. "Well?"

Lee cleared his throat loudly, looked down at his shoes and said, "Guilty."

"Well, that at least explains what my daughter has found so endlessly fascinating in the backyard."

"The backyard?" Lee squeaked out in a panic eyeing Amanda with murder in his eyes.

Amanda decided to come to his rescue this time, slipped an arm around his waist and said in a soothing, "Relax, Sweetheart. She just wants to know a little more about you and our relationship. I told her that we'd been seeing each other for a while now and that it was just now getting serious."

"For you, maybe," he said sliding his free hand around her waist, feeling more comfortable with her beside him rather than across the room. "But I've known for a long time how I feel about you."

"Maybe, I should just leave you two lovebirds alone," Dotty said at seeing the glowing look Lee Stetson was giving her daughter and the equally glowing look that Amanda was giving him back.

"No, Mother, that's not necessary. We just spent the whole weekend alone. The rest of today is about the family. That's why Lee is here. Since he's going to be a part of this family, he wants to spend some time here."'

"That's nice," Dotty said with a warm smile toward Lee happy that he'd put a smile on her daughter's face.

As if on cue, the boys came barreling through the front door and into the kitchen yelling, their beleaguered-looking father behind them. "My babies are home," Amanda said excitedly leaving Lee's arms to embrace her children enthusiastically, kissing them both. "Did you guys have a good time?"

When they both began chattering at once, Joe jumped in and said, "Hey, why don't you fellas go put your stuff up instead of just leaving it in the foyer? I need to talk to your mom for a minute. You guys can catch up with her later." Phillip and Jamie obeyed and flew out of the room as fast as they'd flown in, leaving Joe shaking his head. "I don't know how you do it, Amanda."

"You're not rethinking the weekend visitations, are you?" Amanda asked in concern.

"No, not at all, I enjoyed it. They just wore me out. I'm not used to their energy levels. In fact, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, making it a more regular thing. I really want to get to know them again." Lee looked at Joe King with disdain, thinking that if he'd never abandoned his family, he wouldn't have the problem to begin with, but he didn't say it, just silently sipped his coffee.

Dotty noticed his look and said to him, "Lee, why don't you and I get to know one another better and let them talk. I could show you my flower garden." Not giving him a chance to argue, she firmly linked her arm with his and led him out the back door.

"You're really looking exhausted. Would you like some coffee?"Amanda said awkwardly, unsure if she should tell him about her recent engagement.

"Yeah, that sounds like heaven," Joe replied. Amanda turned away from him, poured two cups of coffee and handed him one. Joe took a sip and said, "So, what do you think?"

"I'm sure we can work something out for the weekends that you're in town," Amanda said after they'd left.

"There are going to be a lot more of those," Joe said.

"Oh? You're not going to be traveling anymore?"Amanda asked with a curious eyebrow.

"I'll still be traveling some, but not as much. Since I've been spending most of the past five months cleaning of the mess that Prescott and Foster left behind, they've asked me to take over Foster's job, which means I'll be here in Washington more often. I was hoping that maybe we could start doing the traditional every other weekend thing."

"I think that's a workable plan," Amanda said clutching her coffee cup with both hands fidgeting nervously with the ring on her finger, not yet used to wearing it.

The motion caught her ex-husband's eye. He glanced at the ring and said, "I think it will be good for both of us. It will give me time with the boys and give you time with your new fiancé'." He nodded with his head to her engagement ring. "Congratulation," he said with a smile. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, Joe. That means a lot," Amanda said.

"So, is this what you were talking about when I first came back when you said you wanted to go forward?" When Amanda didn't answer and just shifted uncomfortably, he said. "Amanda, it's ok. I had a feeling when I first met him, that the two of you were more than friends."

"Yeah, we are and we have been for a while," she admitted.

"Amanda, it's ok," Joe said soothingly. "You've moved on. I get it. I've moved on too. To be honest, I've been seeing someone myself since I got back to Washington."

"Oh? Who is she?"

"I'd like to keep that to myself for a while, if you don't mind," he answered.

"Come on, Joe," she said then glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. "I'm a spy. You know, you can't keep secrets form a spy," she teased.

Joe laughed and said, "I never could keep secrets from you anyway, even before this part-time spy business, but if things go the way I hope they're going to, you won't have to wait for long."

"Sounds serious," Amanda said.

"I think it is, or at least it's heading that way," Joe said with a smile.

"I'm happy for you, really," She said smiling back at him.

"Speaking of which, I should get going. I'm actually supposed to see her tonight. I'll give you a call to work out visitation with the boys." He finished his coffee and set the cup down on the counter.

"Ok, have fun," she said giving him a quick good-bye kiss. As soon as he was gone, she figured she'd better rescue Lee from her mother. She set down her own cup and headed out the back door. She couldn't help but laugh at the nervousness in her fiancé's stance, the panic in his eyes.

"You see these over here by the fence? They are completely squished," Dotty was saying. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Mother, why don't we save the twenty questions for later?" Amanda said.

"You're right," Dotty said. "I should really get dinner started, anyway.' Dotty hurried into the house.

"Are you ok?"Amanda asked.

Lee shook his head and said, "I swear, I have been interrogated by less aggressive KGB agents."

Amanda laughed and said, "Well, I'm afraid you're not done being interrogated yet now that the boys are home. They're going to have a ton of questions too. We should go in."

"Yeah," Lee said. He kissed her softly and tried to summon up his courage to face the inquisition as they walked into the house hand in hand.


	21. The Final Curtain

Author's Note: Here it is, Folks. The final chapter. Thanks to those who have read, reviewed and followed me from the opening curtain to the closing one. I may do a sequel in the future, but for now, as they say in the theater, that's curtain.

**The Final Curtain**

Late Sunday afternoon-Sunday evening

Just as they entered the back door, Lee suddenly grabbed Amanda's arm and said in a panic, "I don't think I can do this."

"What," Amanda said beginning to get panicked herself. "You're not changing your mind about getting married already, are you?"

"No, not that. I have no doubt in my mind that I want to marry you, but what if I can't hack this whole fatherhood thing. I've never been around kids and you saw what a disaster I was a couple of years ago with that Alexi kid. You had to bail me out on that one."

"And I'll be here to bail you out if you need me today," Amanda promised as she soothingly caressed his face.

"But what if they hate me?"

"They won't. Just be yourself and they'll love you just like I love you," she replied. "Now, come on." She began to start toward the kitchen again, but Lee's hand on her arm once again stopped her.

"It's not just that," Lee said. He peered nervously around the corner into the kitchen before adding, "What if you are pregnant? As much as I would love to be a father, what if I'm no good at it."

"Well, we don't have to worry about that anytime soon," Amanda said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I'm not pregnant."

"You don't know that. We were reckless this weekend," he reminded her.

"I _do_ know that," Amanda said with a sigh. "Remember, I was saying we needed to wait for Mother Nature to give us a sign?" Lee nodded. "Well, she gave us that sign when I went to the bathroom upstairs."

"Oh, you mean you..."

"Yeah," she said.

"I see," He said with downcast eyes.

"You sound awfully disappointed for a guy who was having a panic attack at the idea of fatherhood just ten seconds ago."

Lee ran a hand through his hair and said, "I know. I must sound like crazy person to you. Part of me is disappointed, but another part is relieved at the same time."

"I know what you mean. I feel the same way," Amanda said. "I was a little disappointed myself, but also a little relieved."

"Maybe we're both crazy then," Lee said with a soft chuckle.

"I don't think so," Amanda replied. "I feel conflicted too. I think that's just normal."

"You...uh...you don't feel conflicted about marrying me, do you?"

"Yes and no," Amanda confessed. "I want to marry you more than I can put into words and a big part of me wants to do it as soon as possible so that we can really start to live our life together after we waited so long."

"But..." Lee said.

"But there's this other part that says we should wait a little while to give the kids time to get used to the idea and to give you time to get to know them and feel comfortable with them so you don't have another panic attack."

"So, maybe Mother Nature's message to us was that we should wait a little while," Lee suggested.

"I think so," Amanda answered honestly.

"Well, like you said last night, we've waited this long. What's a few more months, but I _am_ going to marry you, Amanda King, you can count on it."

"Good," She said with a smile as she snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a lingering kiss.

The moment was interrupted by Phillip's voice intruding. "See, Worm Brain, I told you he was Mom's new boyfriend," he said in a know-it-all tone as he punched his brother on the arm. Lee and Amanda abruptly pulled apart.

"Ow!," Jamie said as he gave Phillip a shove. "Don't call me Worm Brain, Meat Head!"

"Both of you stop the name calling," Amanda scolded.

"Yes, Ma'am," Phillip said while Jamie said nothing and just silently stared at Lee as if sizing him up.

"Something on your mind, Jamie?" Lee asked as he knelt to eye level with him.

"Is Phillip right? Are you really Mom's new boyfriend?"Jamie asked

Lee hesitated unsure of how to answer the ten-year-old. "I...um..."

Lee was quickly rescued by Amanda answering, "Lee is more than just my boyfriend. He's very special to me and I want him to be very special to you and your brother in the future. That's why he's here tonight. I want you guys to all get to know each other. Lee and I would both like very much to make him a permanent part of this family."

"That means you're getting married, doesn't it?"Jamie asked eyeing Lee warily.

"Yes, Jamie, it does," Lee answered finally finding his voice. "I know you don't know me, but I want you to know that I love your mom very much. I asked her to marry me yesterday and she made me very happy by saying yes. What do you think? Do I have your blessing?"

Jamie was quiet for a moment, glancing first as his mother taking in the happy smile on her face, then at Lee and the nervous smile on his and said, "Let me get back to you on that," then walked back into the den.

"Listen, I should go help Mother get dinner ready," Amanda said as she walked into the kitchen leaving Lee alone with Phillip. Lee gestured toward the den when Jamie had curled up in one of the armchairs with a book.

"So, you guys met at work, right?" Phillip said as he flopped down onto the couch.

"Yeah, we did. We've been working together for a couple of years now," Lee said as he sat beside him. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Jamie wasn't as engrossed in his book as he appeared to be when he caught the boy peering at him over the top of it. Lee smile and Jamie quickly turned his attention back to his book.

"Good book there, Jamie," Lee teased trying to break the ice.

Jamie lowered the book giving up the pretense of reading and said, "So, if you're engaged, that means you must have been going out for a while, huh?"

"Yeah, your mom and I have been seeing each other for a few months now," Lee answered honestly.

"So, how come we never met you before? You had to know she had kids when you started going out with her. Didn't you want to meet us?"

"That's a good question," Phillip said as both boys looked at him expectantly.

"No, I did. I really wanted to meet you guys a long time ago. It's just..." he trailed off unsure of how to continue. He couldn't exactly tell them the whole truth since they didn't know what his mother really did for a living.

Amanda, hearing the conversation from the kitchen decided to rescue her fiancé' again. "I'm afraid that's my fault, Fellas," She answered while she and her mother continued to make dinner preparations. "You shouldn't hold that against Lee. I wanted to wait for you guys to meet him until I was sure that our relationship was serious. I didn't want it to be another situation like it was with Dean where he got to know you guys and then things didn't work out."

"But Dean asked you to marry him too," Jamie argued.

"That's true, Jamie," Amanda said. "But the difference is that I never said yes to Dean. I _did_ say yes to Lee."

"'Cause you love Lee and you didn't love Dean?"

"Exactly," Amanda said.

"Listen, Jamie, your mom tells me you are a champion Monopoly player. You guys up for a game while we wait for your mom and grandma to get dinner ready?"

"Sure," Jamie said with a smile thinking if he was willing to spend time with them and not just their mom.

"I'll go get the game," Phillip said.

"Now, you guys may have to refresh my memory on the rules a little bit here. It's been a long time since I've played," Lee said.

Phillip returned with the game and said, "Don't worry. We'll help you out," Phillip said with a mischievous grin at his brother. "Right, Jamie."

"Oh, yeah," Jamie replied with an equally mischievous grin.

As they listened to the goings-on in the den, Dotty looked worriedly at her daughter and said, "I don't like the sound of that. You know how Phillip and Jamie are about making up new "house rules" as they go along."

"Just let it go, Mother," Amanda said. "Lee's a big boy. He can take care of himself. Let the boys have their fun. Besides it'll be good experience for Lee."

"I just hope the poor man knows what he's getting himself into."

An hour later, after playing along good-naturedly with the never-ending rule changes the boys were making, Lee was completely broke. He picked up the one lonely five he had left and said with a grin, "You know, I'm starting to think I've been hoodwinked. I think I need to take a look at that rulebook."

"What? Don't you trust us?"Phillip said.

"Yeah, if you're gonna' be our stepdad someday, then we have to build trust," Jamie said laying it on thick as he held the rulebook just out of Lee's reach.

Lee reached for the book just as Jamie jumped to his feet to keep it out of Lee's grasp. "Gimme' that," Lee said rising to his own feet. Jamie darted away from him, but not quickly enough, as Lee captured him around the waist causing him to shriek. "Oh, it looks like somebody's ticklish in the same spot his mom is," Lee teased.

"No, no, no," Jamie squealed as Lee tickled him and made him drop the rulebook.

"Ha ha," Lee said in triumph as he held up rulebook over his head.

Amanda watched all this from the doorway to the kitchen in amusement. She gestured just below her ribs and nodded to Jamie unseen by Lee and before her fiancé' could sit down with his prize, he was set upon by both boys who soon had him pinned to the floor and were tickling him mercilessly. Amanda watched for a few minutes more before clapping her hands to get their attention. "All right, Fellas,' that's enough, dinner's on the table. Go get washed up."

The boys rose from the floor and as they passed by her, Jamie said, "Thanks for the tip, Mom."

Amanda stepped into the den just as Lee was rising to his feet and began to pick up the remains of the game. "The tip?"Lee queried. "What tip was that?" Amanda just shrugged and gave him her best I-don't-know-what-on-earth-you're-talking-about look. "Uh-huh," he said disbelievingly.

"You wanna help me pick this up while we wait for them?" she asked sweetly.

Lee laughed and said, "Yeah, sure." He couldn't resist her sweet smile and she knew it. He shook his head wondering just what Amanda King had done to him to wind him so tightly around her little finger.

They were just putting the game away when the boys came back down the stairs and barreled into the dining room. "You ready for this?"

"After what I just went through, this should be a snap," He said as he linked his hand with hers and they walked into the dining room together to find the boys already digging in. Lee helped Amanda to her seat before sitting himself, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Dotty's keen eyes. She nodded and smiled appreciatively to Amanda.

"So, Lee, how is it that you and Mom know each other's ticklish spots," Jamie asked causing Lee to choke on the drink he'd just taken.

Before Lee could catch his breath, Phillip answered instead, "'Cause they're in love, Bonehead. That's the kind of junk people in love know about each other."

"Phillip, don't call your brother Bonehead," Amanda scolded.

"You know, Jamie asked a very good question, Lee," Dotty said with a grin. "How exactly do you know where my daughter's ticklish?" Amanda gave her mother a look of exasperation while Dotty just smiled knowingly as she sipped her wine."

"Well, Lee," Jamie asked.

Lee looked to Amanda for help who just shook her head silently. He then glanced at Dotty with a murderous look in his eyes who just continued to smile. He knew that she was aware that he'd spent the entire weekend with her daughter and a good portion of it in bed, but that wasn't a fast he was about to share with her young sons. Lee cleared his throat. "Well, while you guys were spending time with your dad this weekend, your mom and I hung out a little too. We were just kind of goofing off and we got into this big ticking fight."

Amanda looked at him very impressed with his improvisation. "Which he won, by the way," Amanda added.

"_He _did," Phillip said in surprise. "He didn't seem too tough when we had him down on the floor."

"Well, it's a whole lot different when it's two against one," Lee pointed out.

"That's probably true," Jamie said seemingly satisfied with Lee's explanation.

"So, Lee," Dotty said. "What is it that you do at IFF? Amanda hardly ever talks about what it is that the two of you actually do."

"Oh, you know, normal documentary film stuff, location scouting, filming and sometimes interviews if our subject involves people. Amanda and I are partners."

"Partners? I thought you were her boss," Dotty said in confusion.

"Mother, I never said that Lee was my boss. You just assumed that," Amanda said.

"Well, what else am I to assume when he's the one who's always calling you telling you that you're needed at work?"

"That's usually because our boss calls me first to tell us when we're needed at the office, probably because I've been there longer," Lee covered quickly. "Since we're partners, I'm usually the one who relays the message to her."

"Are you sure it's not just because you want to talk to her. I mean, it was quite obvious when I first met you Friday night that you're crazy about my daughter."

"Yeah," Lee said flushing slightly as he smiled at Amanda who smiled back warmly. "It could be a little of that, too."

Dinner proceeded without another awkward moment as the boys filled in Amanda on their weekend with their dad and Lee asked what they were currently studying in school.

After dinner was over, dishes washed and put away, and the boys' homework done, Amanda said to the boys. "All right, guys, it's time to get ready for bed. Both boys protested. "No arguments. You've got school in the morning."

"Yeah, and we've got to work in the morning," Lee added. "It's getting late. I should get going."

"I'll walk you out," Amanda said. "Fellas, I'm gonna' say good-night to Lee and be up to check on you in a bit and I expect to see you in your PJs by the time I come back."

The boys grudgingly agreed, but paused before getting to the stairs, conversed with each other in whispers, then Phillip said. "Lee, we've been talking about it off and on all night and we've decided..."

"Yes?" Lee said.

"...you have our blessing." Before another word could be said, both boys went tearing up the stairs.

"Well, how do you like that?"Lee said with a smile.

Lee and Amanda walked outside to Lee's car hand in hand both still smiling. "I'd say that tonight was a big hit," Amanda said as she leaned against the side of the 'Vette. "In fact, it seems all the critics are predicting a smash." She linked her arms behind his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Lee pulled back, looked into her eyes and said, "I just can't wait for the day when this show can stop be a traveling production and have a permanent stage." He kissed her softly one more time before getting into his car. He waited until she was safely back on the porch before pulling away from the curb.

Amanda pondered his last comment, gazed down at the diamond ring she wore for a brief moment, then watched him drive away until she could no longer see his taillights. "Soon, Sweetheart," she said softly. "Very soon."


End file.
